Guglielmi, Pietro Alessandro (EN)

Guglielmi Pietro, Pier, Piero, Alessandro, *9 December 1728 Massa, †19 November 1804 Rome, Italian composer. He initially learned to play the viola and bassoon, probably from his father, Jacopo Guglielmi (kapellmeister at the court of Prince Alderano Cybo in Massa), and to play keyboard instruments and study counterpoint from his uncle, Domenico Guglielmi (organist at Massa Cathedral). He may also have been a pupil of G. Puccini; it is said that as a child he was a violist in Prince Cybo’s orchestra. Around 1746–54, thanks to the patronage of Princess Ricciarda Gonzaga, he studied with F. Durante at the Conservatorio di S. Maria di Loreto in Naples. In 1757, he composed his first stage work for the Teatro dei Fiorentini in Naples – a chelletta pe’museca entitled Lo solachianello ’mbroglione, set to a libretto written in the local dialect. He then worked in Naples for several years, composing comic operas for the local theatres. In 1763, his first opera seria, Tito Manlio, was composed and staged at the Teatro Argentina in Rome. Between 1764 and 1767, he probably resided in Venice, as indicated by the premieres of P.A. Guglielmi’s operas staged there at the time; his works were also performed during this period in the theatres of Rome, Florence, Trier and Milan. Between 1767 and 1772, he worked at the King’s Theatre in London; it was there that fragments of several of his operas (the collection Favourite Songs) and instrumental works were published. Upon his return to Italy, he staged operas in Venice, Rome, Florence, Turin and Milan. He spent the years 1776–93 in Naples – this was the period of P.A. Guglielmi’s greatest compositional successes. His operas successfully rivalled the works of G. Paisiello and D. Cimarosa, who were active in the city at that time. La villanella ingentilita, La quakera spiritosa, Le vicende d’amore, La virtuosa di Mergellina, La pastorella nobile, La bella pescatrice and La serva innamorata gained particular renown. The oratorio Debora e Sisara was also a huge success, which presumably contributed to P.A. Guglielmi’s appointment in 1793 as Kapellmeister of St Peter’s Basilica in Rome. In 1797, P.A. Guglielmi also took on the duties of Kapellmeister at the church of S. Lorenzo in Lucina in Rome. He was, among other things, a member of the Accademia di S. Cecilia in Rome and the Istituto Nazionale in Naples. He had a reputation as a spendthrift and a libertine who cared little for his large family (eight children). He also gained a reputation as an excellent fencer and a participant in numerous duels.

P.A. Guglielmi was one of the most outstanding figures of the last generation of the Neapolitan opera school. Among his numerous stage works, comic genres predominated (opera buffa, intermezzos, farces), in which his compositional talent was most fully revealed. The works, composed over a period of 40 years, underwent a certain evolution in form. Initially (the 1660s and 1670s), three-act operas predominated, in which the da capo aria was dominant, and the relatively few ensembles were constructed on the principle of a chain-like sequence of sections. In P.A. Guglielmi’s later comic operas (generally in two acts), the role of ensembles increased significantly; these created a particular build-up of action in the finales of acts and operas, whilst the da capo aria was replaced by a two-part aria with a repetition, offering considerable scope for formal variation (ABAB, ABA1B1, ABCB1, ABCA1B1CC and others). Alongside this type of aria, there were also solo parts in the form of cavatinas and rondos. Formal changes were also evident in opera overtures. The traditional three-movement Italian sinfonia was, over time, replaced by a single-movement allegro with contrasting themes, but with a development section that had not yet fully evolved. During P.A. Guglielmi’s lifetime, his comic operas enjoyed great popularity not only in Italy, but also in many other European countries. In Warsaw during the reign of King Stanisław August, Italian opera companies staged La sposa fedele (1774), L’impresa d’opera (1775), La pastorella nobile (1791), and La virtuosa di Mergellina (1792, under the title La virtuosa bizarra), while German singers performed La sposa fedele (1782, under the title Robert und Kalliste). Of all Guglielmi’s works, the oratorio Debora e Sisara achieved the greatest fame and acclaim; it was also performed in Warsaw (1791). Following the death of P.A. Guglielmi, his stage works fell into obscurity. Research into the composer’s oeuvre carried out in the 20th century not only restored the rightful status of his comic operas, but also revealed the artistic merits of his previously underappreciated opere serie. P.A. Guglielmi’s church works survived in performance practice for much longer than his operas (they were still being performed in Rome at the beginning of the 20th century), yet they have not yet been studied in detail. His relatively modest body of instrumental works was composed mainly during the composer’s stay in London. The sonatas Op. 3, published there, consist of two movements: a moderate or fast movement and a minuet or rondo; the simple and short, non-contrasting themes are developed through repetition.

Literature: J. Le Breton Notice sur Pietro Guglielmi, “Magasin encylopédique”, Paris 1806; G. Bustico Pietro Alessandro Guglielmi. Appunti biografici, Massa 1898; F. Piovano Elenco cronologico delle opere (1757–1802) di Pietro Guglielmi (1727–1804), “Rivista Musicale Italiana” XII, 1905; G. Bustico P. Metastasio e Pietro Alessandro Guglielmi, “Rivista teatrale italiana” VII, 1908; G. Bustico Un musicista massese. Pietro Alessandro Guglielmi, Barga 1926; G. Bustico Pietro Alessandro Guglielmi nel Il centenario della sua nascita, “Bolletino bibliografico musicale” III, 1928; K. Geiringer Die “Orlando” – Opern von Pietro Alessandro Guglielmi, in: Musicae scientiae collectanea, Festschrift for K.G. Fellerer, Cologne 1973.