Marcello di Capua, da Capua, de Capua, mistakenly called: Bernardini, *around 1740–47 Lisbon or Rome (?), †2 April 1819 Łańcut, Italian opera composer and librettist (probably a son or close relative of Rinaldo di Capua). In the beginning, he was working in his hometown – Rome. Teatro Capranica in 1764 staged his earliest known work, Pantomime ed ariette in musica, and in the carnival of 1764/65 his first comic opera, La schiava astuta, was premièred at the Teatro Alibert (Teatro delle Dame). In the last quarter of 1767, he held the high office as caporione in city council of the Campitelli district. In 1769, he assumed the position of taking band-masterat the Roman Piarist Order’s Collegio Nazareno convent, taking over from Rinaldo di Capua, where he had previously received his education from an early age. He composed seven cantatas for the Order for the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, at the same time also teaching the convent’s alumni to play the harpsichord. At the turn of the 1770s and 1780s, he expanded his collaboration with numerous theaters in Italy and abroad, including Dresden, Prague, Lisbon, Barcelona, and Madrid. The success of the première of the dramma giocoso La donna di spirito (Rome 1787) enhanced international interest in his work, as evidenced by the entry dedicated to him (Bernardini) in Gerber’s musical lexicon published at the time.
In 1786 di Capua entered the service of Princess Izabela Lubomirska, but initially continued his own activities in Italy. From around 1788 he probably stayed in Naples. In 1792 or 1793, he settled at the Lubomirska estate in Łańcut, where a large collection of his works has been preserved, including a number of autographs and authorised copies (including the autograph of the premiere version of the intermezzos Il conte di bell’umore and a copy of the Viennese version of the dramma bernesco La donna bizzarra). His duties at the Łańcut court included composing occasional works, expanding the music collection, and teaching musical amateurs from the aristocratic circle. In 1807, on the occasion of the wedding of Prince Henryk Lubomirski and Princess Teresa Czartoryska he staged the azione teatrale La forza del merito – his greatest work from Łańcut. While staying in Poland, he continually composed for Italian theatres. He probably travelled several times to southern Europe, including Venice and Rome, on the occasion of the premières of Achille in Sciro, La sposa polacca, Furberia e puntiglio and Le tre orfanelle, as well as many other stage productions of his operas.
Marcello di Capua’s operas received considerable success (especially Li tre Orfei) due to skilful characterisations and comedy. Di Capua made a contribution to Polish culture by serving tas the musical director of one of the most interesting magnate centres in Poland for many years. He isolated himself as an author from the influence of Polish folklore and expressions of an emerging national music style. His later stage works show no more than a few superficial references to Polish customs (librettos) and Polish national dances.
The composer’s musical language is a very natural, yet shallow and conservative approach to the Italian vocal tradition. In his work, di Capua absorbed and preserved the stylistic norms of the late Neapolitan School but failed to implement some its most important aesthetic principles, such as bel canto or the dramatic values of musical devices.
The surname “Bernardini” is not confirmed by sources; it was in use when the composer was still alive as a result of an error made by Lorenzo Formenti, the scribe of the theatre alla Scala, in Indice de’ spettacoli teatrali, chronicle 1785/86.
Literature: K. Biegański Biblioteka muzyczna Zamku w Łańcucie. Katalog, Kraków 1968; A. Lanfranchi, E. Careri Le cantate per la Natività della B.V. Un secolo di musiche al Collegio Nazareno di Roma (1681‒1784), published in: Händel e gli Scarlatti a Roma. Atti del convegno internazionale di studi (Roma, 12‒14 giugno 1985), edited by N. Pirrotta, A. Ziino, Firenze 1987; M. Płoski Marcello di Capua – nadworny kompozytor księżnej Izabeli Lubomirskiej. Studium źródłoznawcze, Kraków 2019; M. Płoski Marcello di Capua, Court Composer to Princess Izabela Lubomirska. The latest research into his life and works, „Musica Iagellonica” 2020/11.
Operas:
(according to separate titles of librettos or scores)
La schiava astuta, intermezzi, premiere in Rome, carnival 1764/65
La pescatrice, farsetta, premiere in Rome, around 1768
Il contadino schernito, intermezzi, libretto M. di Capua, premiere in Rieti 1769
Il Donchisciotte della Mancia, dramma giocoso, libretto G.B. Lorenzi, premiere in Turin, autumn 1769
Il cavaliere errante, farsetta, libretto M. di Capua (?), premiere in Rome, January 1770
La molinara astuta, intermezzi, premiere in Rome, around 8 I 1770
Amore e musica, intermezzi, premiere in Rome, carnival 1772/73
La contessina, dramma giocoso, libretto M. Coltellini after C. Goldoni, premiere in Rome, carnival 1772/73
La bella forestiera o sia La viaggiatrice fortunata, farsetta, premiere in Rome, February 1776 (the original version of the opera La viaggiatrice fortunata)
La finta sposa olandese, farsetta, premiere in Rome, I 1777
L’isola incantata, intermezzo, premiere in Rome, I 1778
Il bassà generoso, intermezzo, premiere in Rome, I 1780
Il vecchio ringiovanito, intermezzi, premiere in Rome, 3 I 1781
Le vendette giocose o sia Il conte pasticcio, intermezzi, libretto F.C., premiere in Rome, carnival 1781/82
La viaggiatrice fortunata, dramma giocoso, premiere in Florence, 26 XII 1782 (new version La bella forestiera o sia La viaggiatrice fortunata)
Il conte di bell’umore, intermezzi, libretto M. di Capua (?), premiere in Rome, carnival 1782/83
Li tre Orfei, intermezzi, premiere in Rome, carnival 1783/84
La poetessa fanatica o sieno Li due gemelli, intermezzi, premiere in Rome, carnival 1783/84
Le donne bisbetiche o sia L’antiquario fanatico, farsetta, libretto M. di Capua (co-author), premiere in Rome, carnival 1784/85 (the original version of the opera La finta Galatea o sia L’antiquario fanatico)
Li muti per amore o sia La schiava fedele, farsetta, libretto M. di Capua (co-author), premiere in Rome, carnival 1785/86
Il barone a forza o sia Il trionfo di Bacco, farsetta, premiere in Rome, 7 I 1786
Gli amanti confusi o sia Il brutto fortunato, farsetta, premiere in Rome, 26 IV 1786
Il fonte d’acqua gialla o sia Il trionfo della pazzia, farsetta, libretto M. di Capua, premiere in Rome, autumn 1786
La donna di spirito, dramma giocoso, libretto M. di Capua after C. Goldoni, premiere in Rome, spring 1787 (the original version of the opera La donna bizzarra)
La finta Galatea o sia L’antiquario fanatico, commedia, libretto M. di Capua, premiere in Naples, around the summer of 1788
La fiera di Forlipopoli, dramma giocoso, premiere in Rome, 20 IV 1789
La donna bizzarra, commedia, libretto M. di Capua after C. Goldoni, premiere in Naples, 8 VII 1789 (new version of the opera La donna di spirito)
Gl’incontri stravaganti, commedia, premiere in Naples, carnival 1789/90
L’ultima che si perde è la speranza, commedia, libretto S. Zini, premiere in Naples, 1 VIII 1790
Il pazzo glorioso, dramma giocoso, libretto G. Bertati, premiere in Casalmaggiore, around 1790
Pizzarro nell’Indie, dramma per musica, premiere in Naples, 23 I 1791
L’allegria della campagna, commedia, premiere in Naples, around the spring of 1791
Amore per incanto, commedia, premiere in Naples, carnival 1791/92
La statua per puntiglio, dramma giocoso, premiere in Venice, carnival 1791/92
Le quattro nazioni, dramma giocoso, libretto M. di Capua after C. Goldoni, premiere in Verona, spring 1792 (new version of the opera La donna di spirito)
Il conte brillante, co-author Carlo Uboldi, dramma giocoso, libretto M. di Capua (?), premiere in Varese, autumn 1792 (new version of the opera Il conte di bell’umore)
Li cinque pretendenti, dramma giocoso, premiere in Trieste, carnival 1793/94 (new version of the opera La donna bizzarra)
Achille in Sciro, dramma per musica, libretto P. Metastasio, premiere in Venice, autumn 1794
La sposa polacca, dramma bernesco, libretto M. di Capua, premiere in Rome, 26 XII 1795
Furberia e puntiglio (Don Simoncino o sia Furberia e puntiglio), farsa giocosa, libretto G. Foppa, premiere in Venice, 12 IX 1798
Le tre orfanelle o sia La scola di musica, dramma giocoso, libretto G. Bertati, premiere in Venice, 25 XI 1798
Il muto per astuzia, farsa giocosa, libretto G. Foppa, premiere in Venice, carnival 1798/99
Gli amanti della dote, dramma giocoso, premiere in Mantua, carnival 1803/04
La forza del merito, azione teatrale comica semiseria, libretto M. di Capua (?), premiere in Łańcut, around 24 V 1806
La forza dei simpatici o sia Lo speziale burlato, farsa, premiere in Fermo, summer 1806
Cantatas:
L’apparizione di Onia, componimento poetico, lyrics by G.L. Bandini, premiere in Rome, 3 I 1769
Il vello di Gedeone, componimento sacro, lyrics by G.L. Godard, premiere in Rome, 15 IX 1771
La stella di Giacobbe, componimento sacro, lyrics by F.A. Fasce, premiere in Rome, 13 IX 1772
[La verga mistica di Aronne], Cantata a tre voci, componimento sacro, lyrics by G.L. Godard, premiere in Rome, 12 IX 1773
L’iride o sia L’arco di pace, componimento sacro, lyrics by F.A. Fasce, premiere in Rome, 31 VIII 1777
Per l’augustissimo giorno natalizio di Sua Maestà fedelissima Maria Francesca regina di Portogallo, lyrics by G.L. Godard, premiere in Rome 1779
[La Porta d’Oriente], Cantata per la natività della beatissima Vergine in occasione della pubblica accademia nel Collegio Nazareno, lyrics by S. Stefanini, premiere in Rome, 10 IX 1780
La gara delle stagioni, componimento per musica, premiere in Rome, autumn 1782
[Le lagrime di Veturia], Cantata a due voci fatta ad instanza delli sig.ri convittori del Colleggio Nazareno, lyrics by S. Stefanini, premiere in Rome, 16 IX 1784
Angelica placata, lyrics by M. di Capua after L. Ariosta, premiere in Vienna 1794
Ulisse e Tiresia, componimento drammatico, lyrics by A. d’Elci, premiere in Vienna 1800
Other:
Pantomime ed ariette in musica, premiere in Rome 1764
Pantomima (title unknown), music for orchestra, premiere in Łańcut, after 1792
Pantomima dei fanciulli, music for orchestra, premiere in Łańcut, after 1792 (also in a version for 2 violins and basso: Le nozze di Amore e Psiche)
Operetta francese (title unknown), premiere in Łańcut, after 1792
[Italian Operetta] with unknown title, incipit „Chi a tanti meriti”, premiere in Łańcut, after 1792
[Italian Operetta] with unknown title, lack of verbal text (i.a. Canzonetta per il ballo dell’orso »Grandi signori«), premiere in Łańcut, after 1792
L’aurora, overtura e cavatina con risposte, premiere in Łańcut, after 1792
La voce della natura, duettino notturno in occasione del fausto giorno del nome di […] Enrico Lubomirski, premiere in Łańcut, after 1792
Serenata in occasione di festeggiarsi il fausto nome di S.A. il principe Enrico Lubomirski, premiere in Łańcut, after 1792
La gara delle quattro stagioni dell’anno occorrendo il fausto giorno del nome di […] Enrico Lubomirski […], quartetto vocale, premiere in Łańcut 1802
Sinfonia con violini, viole, oboè, corni e trombe in D major, premiere in Łańcut, after 1792 (transcription of Sinfonia per organo from period in Italy)
additionally, participation in several pasticci and numerous aria-interludes
Opera librettos by other authors:
La schiava amorosa, farsetta, music by G.B. Borghi, premiere in Rome, I 1770
La donna di spirito, farsetta, music by A. Felici, premiere in Rome, II 1770
Le burle per amore, dramma giocoso, music by V. Martín y Soler, premiere in Venice, carnival 1783/84
Il geloso imprudente, intermezzi, music by P. Terziani, premiere in Rome, carnival 1784/85
