Matteis, Nicola I (EN)

Matteis Nicola I, *mid-17th century Naples, †ca. 1700 Colkirk, Italian violinist, guitarist, and composer, often confused with his son. In the early 1670s, he arrived in England, where he quickly gained fame and support from merchant circles. He made a living from concert performances and violin and guitar lessons, but was not employed at the Stuart court because he was considered arrogant (he demanded absolute silence while he played). In 1676, his Arie Diverse per il Violino were a huge success in London. In 1678, he left for Paris for a short time, probably for concert and publishing purposes; in November 1679, he was already giving concerts in London. Although his works were printed in Amsterdam anthologies between 1701 and 1704, and a new version of Ayrs for the Violin was published in London, he was already considered dead in 1702. According to North, shortly after his son’s wedding, he withdrew from musical life and, plagued by illness, died in Colkirk.

Matteis contributed to the popularization of Italian violin music in England and was (after Th. Baltzar) the only violinist who, before the arrival of F. Geminiani, P. Castrucci, and F.M. Veracini, introduced the English to the secrets of violin virtuosity developed on the continent. The four books of arias for solo violin are not only a record of Matteis’ artistry, but also a systematically organized school of violin playing. These arias, which are 3-12-part suites, are arranged in order of increasing difficulty, allowing them to be combined according to the technical abilities of the performer. The prefaces and musical notation contain detailed instructions on bowing, articulation, ornamentation, and double stops, comparable to the achievements of the German school of J.H. Schmelzer, H.I.F. Biber, and J.J. Walther, and far exceeding the level of the textbooks of J. Playford and J. Lenton. In addition to dances, the suites also include numerous fantasias, capriccios, variations on harmonic patterns, and illustrative and programmatic pieces. In these works, German violin technique is combined with French dance style and Italian melodic expression. Matteis uses tonal and thematic means of integration, chromaticism, and numerous dissonances. Matteis also wrote for larger ensembles: in books 3 and 4 of his arias, he included a concerto for three trumpets, and North mentions that Matteis also wrote for a four-voice consort. Matteis’ pedagogical activity is reflected in The False Consonances of Musick, a compendium of knowledge on the principles of composition, guitar playing, and the realisation of basso continuo.

Literature: J. Evelyn Diary, vol. 4, ed. E.S. de Beer, London 1955; Roger North on Music, ed. J. Wilson, London 1959; M. Tilmouth Nicola Matteis., “The Musical Quarterly” XLVI, 1960; S. Garnsey The Use of Hand-Plucked Instruments in the Continuo Body. Nicola Matteis, “Music and Letters” XLVII, 1966; J. Congleton The False Consonances of Music. Nicola Matteis. Instructions for the Playing the Base upon the Guitar, “Early Music” IX, 1981; S.E. Plank A Song in Imitation of Mr. Nicola’s Manner. A Melismatic „Mouthfull”, “Bach” XVII, 1986; P. Walls The Influence of the Italian Violin School in 17th-Century England, “Early Music” XVIII, 1990; M. Cyr Violin playing in late seventeenth-century England: Baltzar, Matteis, and Purcell, “Performance practice review” VIII, 1995; S. Jones The legacy of the «stupendious» Nicola Matteis, “Early Music” XXIX, 2001; J. Nelson Matteis and seventeenth-century guitar accompaniment, “Lute Society of America quarterly” XL, 2005; L.E. Lindgren The great influx of Italians and their instrumental music into London 1701–1710 in: Arcangelo Corelli fra mito e realtà storica, eds. G.R. Barnett, A. D’Ovidio, S. La Via, Florence 2007.