Caldara, Antonio (EN)

Caldara Antonio, *ca. 1670 Venice, †28 December 1736 Vienna, Italian composer, likely a student of G. Legrenzi. As a boy, he sang in the choir at St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice; later, he became proficient in playing the viola, cello, and harpsichord. From 1699 to 1707, he served as maestro di cappella da chiesa e dal teatro at the court of Prince Ferdinand Carl Gonzaga in Mantua. He may have accompanied the prince on a trip to Paris. In 1708, Caldara was active in Rome, and then left for Barcelona. There, during the wedding celebrations of Charles III (later Emperor Charles VI), his componimento da camera per musica Il più bel nome was performed. From 1709 to 1716, Caldara served as maestro di cappella at the court of Prince Ruspoli in Rome. During this time, he composed works not only on commission from the prince but also for other patrons: Cardinals P. Ottoboni and F. Colonna, and Emperor Joseph I. In 1711–12, Caldara stayed in Vienna; in 1716 he settled there permanently, serving until his death as vice-Kapellmeister at the imperial court (J.J. Fux was the Kapellmeister). He composed numerous occasional works for the imperial court and other Austrian musical centers, such as Salzburg and Linz.

Caldara was one of the most prolific composers of his era. His oeuvre is estimated at approximately 3,400 works. This rich legacy has not yet been fully cataloged and classified. However, Caldara was one of the most outstanding representatives of the late Italian Baroque, and indirectly contributed to the foundations of Viennese Classicism. Alongside J.J. Fux, C.A. Badia, F. Conti, and G. Porsile, he was one of the creators of the musical culture’s golden age at the imperial court in Vienna, where most of his dramatic compositions were created. In his works, Caldara combined stylistic elements of various Italian schools (Venetian, Neapolitan, Roman, and Bolognese), blending them after 1716 with the traditions of Austrian music. Despite such diverse influences, Caldara, thanks to his talent, avoided eclecticism, and his individual style is characterized by a skillful and creative combination of technically sophisticated counterpoint with expressive, emotional melody. Like other composers of the era, Caldara wrote prolifically and quickly, fulfilling numerous commissions from patrons. Hence, his works often bear the mark of routine mass production; they are characterized by a certain formulaic quality, and at times they are even underdeveloped. However, even such pieces reveal the master’s touch in their technical details.

Vocal compositions hold particular significance in Caldara’s oeuvre, among which the small forms stand out for their artistic craftsmanship. Numerous motets, canons, and chamber cantatas are distinguished by a beautiful melodic line and a deep expressive connection between text and music; one of Caldara’s motets was included in G. Paolucci’s publication Arte pratica di contrapunto (Venice, 1765) as a model example of the genre. His masterpieces include the Stabat Mater, which was popular in its time, and among the finest compositions of that era are the Crucifixus a 16 and the Te Deum, both written in the Venetian polychoral style. Caldara’s madrigals were composed as an expression of a short-lived fashion drawing on the style of L. Marenzio and G.P. Palestrina.

Scholars of Caldara’s work also highly regard his oratorios written between 1690 and 1716, that is, before he left his homeland. These works are distinguished by carefully crafted accompanied recitatives, a diversity of texture and form, a high degree of dramatic tension, and expressive power. Such characteristics fade in the oratorios written for the imperial court (often to texts by A. Zeno and P. Metastasio). A weakening of the dramatic structure, a simplification of the texture, and a preference for secco recitatives and formally schematic arias (da capo and dal segno) characterize not only the oratorios composed during his Viennese period, but also most of Caldara’s stage works, which were usually written in haste to enhance various court ceremonies. Caldara’s operatic output has not yet been thoroughly studied, but it is believed that the leading work of this genre is Dafne (dramma pastorale per musica) written for the Salzburg stage; the hunting aria Dafne with concertante horns (beginning of Act III) ranks among the most outstanding compositional achievements of the era. Caldara’s stage works, in accordance with the conventions of the time, bear various designations: componimento drammatico, festa teatrale, festa da camera, pastorale, and others.

Caldara’s instrumental works are of lesser significance, though he was also one of the most important representatives of the sonata da chiesa following A. Corelli. The sonatas and sinfonie, in which Caldara draws on the Neapolitan overture, influenced the development of the foundations of the classical sonata form.

Literature: L. v. Köchel Die kajserliche Hofmusikkapelle in Wien von 1543–1867, Vienna 1869; A. Gmeyner Di Opern Caldaras. Ein Beitrag zur Geschichte der italienischen Oper in Vien. diss. Vienna 1927; E.I. Luin Sulla vita e sulle opere di Antonio Caldara, in: La scuola veneziana, Siena 1941; A. Liess Wiener Barockmusik, Vienna 1946; F. Hadamowsky Barocktheater am Wiener Kaiserhof, Vienna 1955; U. Kirkendale The War of the Spanish Succession Reflected in the Works of Antonio Caldara, “Acta Musicologica” XXXVI, 1964; U. Kirkendale Antonio Caldara. Sein Leben und seine venezianisch-römischen Oratorien, Graz 1966; R. Freeman The Travels of „Partenope”, in: «Studies in Music History», celebratory publication for O. Strunk, Princeton 1968; E. Roche Caldara and the Mass, “The Musical Times” CXI, 1970; M. Rinaldi Contributo alla futura biografia di Antonio Caldara, “Nuova Rivista Musicale Italiana” IV, 1970; C. Gallico „Santa Francesca Romana” di Caldara, P. Isotta Antonio Caldara. Problemi e prospettive and V. Kirkendale Antonio Caldara. La vita, “Chigiana” XXVI–XXVII, 1971; B.L. Greenwood Antonio Caldara. A Checklist of His Manuscripts in Europe, Great Britain, and the United States of America, «Studies in Music History» VII, 1973.