The Most Favourite Songs in the Opera of Muzio Scævola. Compos'd by Three Famous Masters
Bononcini, Buononcini Giovanni, *18 July 1670 Modena, †9 July 1747 Vienna, Giovanni Maria’s son, Italian composer. He was educated by his father, later by G.P. Colonna and G. Buoni in Bologna; in 1687, he was a bandmaster at the church of S. Giovanni in Monte and harpsichordist in the band of the S. Petronio church. He became a member of the Accademia Filarmonica in Bologna. Around 1691–96, he was in Rome in the service of the Colonna family, he was admitted to the Arcadian Academy; it was then that his first operas were written. In 1697–1711, he was a composer at the imperial court in Vienna. In 1702 and 1704 he visited the royal court in Berlin, where he staged his operas. After leaving Vienna, he returned to Rome, where until 1719 he worked for the imperial ambassador. In 1720 he came to London and immediately found himself in opposition to Händel who was working there. Bononcini was supported by powerful English families, and Fr. Marlborough gave him a fixed salary. Some of Bononcini’s operas (L’Odio ed Amore, Griselda and Crispo) were very successful in London. For a long time, the composer was associated with the London Royal Academy of Music. Bononcini’s star suddenly faded in 1731, when the composer submitted A. Lotti’s madrigal to the Academy of Ancient Music as his own work. In 1732 he went to Paris, in 1733 he stayed in Madrid, in 1735 in Lisbon, and from 1737 in Vienna, where his opera Alessandro in Sidone and the oratorio Ezechia were performed. The creation of the composition Te Deum laudamus (1741) is the last piece of information from the composer’s biography.
Alongside A. Caldara and J.J. Fux, Bononcini belonged to the leading opera composers in Vienna, and in London, thanks to lyricism and melodiousness of his operas, he successfully competed with Händel. He knew how to adapt his skills to the changing tastes of his audience. He was also one of the outstanding creators of Italian oratorio. He represented the late phase of the Venetian school, i.e. the period of its development when it came closer and closer to the Neapolitan style, gradually losing its distinctiveness (Neapolitan influences are particularly visible in some dramatic works and in the oratorio Ezechia). A strict division between the works of Antonio Maria and Giovanni Battista Bononcini is still difficult.
Literature L.F. Valdrighi I Bononcini da Modena, Modena 1882; K. Hueber Gli ultimi anni di Bononcini Notizie e documenti inediti, «Atti e memorie della Società di Lettere e Arti di Modena», Modena 1954; L. Lindgren A Bibliographic Scrutiny of Dramatic Works set by Giovanni and his Brother Antonio Maria Bononcini, dissertation, Harvard University 1972; A. Ford Music and Drama in the Operas of Giovanni Bononcini, „Proceedings of the Royal Musical Association” CI, 1974/75; L. Lindgren The Three Great Noises „Fatal to the Interests of Bononcini”, „The Musical Quarterly” LXI, 1975; L. Lindgren, “Camilla” and “The Beggar’s Opera”, „Philological Quarterly” LIX, 1980; G. Wagner Sophie Charlotte und die Musik, in: Barockmusik in Berlin, ed. G. Wagner, Berlin 1987; H. Elste Italienische Musik und Musiker in Lietzenburg. Giovanni Bononcinis „Cefalo” und „Polifemo”, Blankenburg 1988; H.D. Clausen, Händels Admeto und Bononcinis Astianatte: antike Tragödie an der Royal Academy of Music, „Göttinger Händel-Beiträge“, VI, 1996; L. Lindgren, Vienna, the “natural centro” for Giovanni Bononcini, w: Il teatro musicale italiano nel Sacro Romano Impero nei secoli XVII e XVIII, red. A. Colzani, A. Luppi, M. Padoan, N. Dubowy, Como 1999.
Compositions:
Instrumental:
Trattenimenti da camera a 3… Op. 1, published in Bologna 1685
Concerti da camera a 3… Op. 2, published in Bologna 1685
Sinfonie a 5, 6, 7 e 8 istromenti… Op. 3, published in Bologna 1685
Sinfonie a 3… Op. 4, published in Bologna 1686
Sinfonie da chiesa a 4… Op. 5, published in Bologna 1687, 21689
Sinfonie a due stromenti… Op. 6, published in Bologna 1687
Ayres in Three Parts, published in London circa 1701, 21730
Divertimenti da camera…, published in London 1722, 21733, published as facsimile in Bologna 1969
XII Sonatas for the chamber, published in London 1732
Suites de pièces pour le clavecin, published in London circa 1735 Solo for cello with basso continuo, in: Six Solos for Two Violoncellos, London 1748
Musique Pastorale pour le 23. Novembre 1730. Jour de la Naissance de Lady Mary Godolphin, rkp. Memorial Library of Music, Palo Alto, USA
For the birthday of the sweet angel. Suites. Musique pastorale, manuscript Memorial Library of Music, Palo Alto, USA
Scenic:
33 operas, including:
Xerse, staged in Rome 1694, published in faks. New York 1986
Tullo Ostilio, staged in Rome 1694
Il trionfo di Camilla, staged in Naples, 1696
La fede pubblica, staged in Vienna 1699
Polifemo, staged in Berlin 1702
Cefalo, staged in Berlin 1702
Endimione, staged in Vienna 1706
Astarto, staged in Rome 1715, published as facsimile Bologna 1984
Crispo, staged in Rome 1721
L’Odio ed Amore, staged in London 1721
Griselda, staged in London 1722
Calfurnia, staged in London 1724
Alessandro in Sidone, staged in Vienna 1737
21 serenades and other short dramatic pieces
Vocal-instrumental:
oratories:
La vittoria di Daoidde contro Golia, performed in Bologna 1687
Il Giosuè, performed in Modena 1688
La Maddalena ai piedi di Cristo, performed in Modena 1690, published as facsimile New York 1986
San Nicola da Bari, performed in Rome 1693
La conversione di Maddalena, performed in Vienna 1701
La città di Sion, performed in Bologna 1702
Ezechia, performed in Vienna 1737
cantatas:
Duetti da camera… Op. 8, published in Bologna 1691, 21701
Arde il mio petto amante e nasce il foco, D’un mirto all’ombra, Quando parli e quando ridi, Su la sponda d’un rio afflitta e mesta w: Cantate a voce sola, published in Lucca, circa 1700
Cantate e duetti, published in London, 1721
Impara a non dar fede in: Meslanges de musique latine, françoise et italienne, Paris 1725
Over 280 solo cantatas, arias and madrigals preserved as manuscripts or published in London and Paris
religious:
Messe brevi a 8…, published in Bologna 1688
When Saul was King… at the Funeral of… John Duke of Marlborough…, published in London 1722
Vieni Jesu sponso chare, published in Paris 1728
Laudate pueri, published in Paris 1733
Te Deum laudamus, 1741, manuscript Nazionalbibliothek, Vienna
motets, psalms, responsories
Editions:
Arias for voice and harpsichord in: Alte Meister des bel canto, published in Leipzig 1912, 1915
opera Polifemo, published by G. Kärnbach, Berlin 1938
7 suites for 2 recorders and harpsichord, published in Mainz 1939
Sonatas for the Chamber, for two violins and basso continuo (published in London 1732), nos. 1–5 published by F. Giesbert, Neuwied circa 1948
Divertimenti da camera for flute or alto and basso continuo, published by H. Ruf, Mainz 1964–69, also «Biblioteca Musica Bononiensis» IV/166, Bologna 1969
Solo for cello with basso continuo, published by H. Ruf, Mainz 1967
Arias from the Vienna Operas, published by A. Ford in: «The Baroque Operatic Arias» I, London 1971
Sinfonie da chiesa, Op. 5, published by N. Harnoncourt, Mainz. 1971
Sinfonia decima à 7 Op. 3 No, 10, «Musica Rara», London 1974
Il trionfo di Camilla, published by H. M. Brown, «Italian Opera 1640–1770», 17, New York 1978
When Saul was King, published by A. Ford, Kent 1982
Cantatas by Giovanni Bononcini, published by L. Lindgren, «The Italian Cantata in the Seventeenth Century», X, New York 1985