Life
Trained at the dawn of the Arcadian taste, his long and prestigious career led him to reach full maturity in an era of great stylistic richness, in which Arcadian solidity fused with the new elegance of the Rococo and with the critical spirit of the Enlightenment.
Francesco Durante was an Italian composer, considered one of the leading exponents of the Neapolitan musical school and one of the most important composers of sacred music of his time. Born in Frattamaggiore, in the Kingdom of Naples, on March 31, 1684, he began his musical studies at the Conservatory of the Poveri di Gesù Cristo, where he was a pupil of Gaetano Greco. Later, he perfected his studies with the great master Alessandro Scarlatti at the Conservatory of Sant'Onofrio a Porta Capuana in Naples. He is supposed to have also studied in Rome, but no documented evidence exists. In 1725, he succeeded Scarlatti as director of the Conservatory of Sant'Onofrio and remained there until 1742.
His reputation as a teacher was immense. During his career, he trained a generation of famous composers, including Pietro Alessandro Guglielmi, Niccolò Jommelli, Giovanni Paisiello, Giovanni Battista Pergolesi, and Niccolò Piccinni. His teaching was characterized by a very rigid adherence to rules, in contrast to Scarlatti's more individualistic approach. He died in Naples on September 30, 1755, after directing the Conservatory of Santa Maria di Loreto for thirteen years.
His fame extended beyond Italian borders: Jean-Jacques Rousseau defined him as "the greatest harmonist of Italy, that is, of the world," a testimony to his recognized talent. His musical legacy, consisting almost exclusively of sacred music, is preserved in precious collections in Paris and Vienna. In Italy, he is still celebrated as a fundamental reference point for the study of harmony and composition.
Aneddoto
Francesco Durante's fame as a virtuoso of harmony was such that it was celebrated throughout Europe. Even the philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau called him "the greatest harmonist of Italy, that is, of the world," recognizing his supremacy in this field.
Works
Francesco Durante's production is almost entirely dedicated to sacred music, a genre in which he was one of the undisputed masters of his time. Among his most important works are two Requiems, various masses (including the Pastoral Mass for four voices), and the Lamentations of the Prophet Jeremiah. One of his most famous creations is the Mass in D minor for five voices from 1709, composed for the church of S. Giacomo degli Spagnoli.
Although he never wrote works for the theater, his production is vast and includes oratorios such as La cerva assetata (Naples, 1705, lost) and Abigaile (Rome, 1736). He also composed instrumental music, including seven concertos for quartet, a concerto for harpsichord and strings, and various sonatas for harpsichord and for two violins. His pedagogical production is of great importance, with compositions such as the Partimenti ossia intero studio di numerati per ben suonare il cembalo, which show his commitment to training musicians.
Briciole di storia
The vices of Italians
In the heart of the eighteenth century, Pietro Calepio wrote a Letter on Italian Customs that was translated into French and published in 1728 in the prestigious Bibliothèque Italique. In this text, which became very well known, Calepio did not limit himself to describing Italy in general, but clearly and sincerely denounced various vices of Italian society. Among his sharpest criticisms was the poor functioning of schools and, in particular, the idleness in which most of the nobility lived, considered the cause of their dissoluteness. He also denounced the low regard given to the female role.
Pubblico dominio (Google Art Project)
