Matteis, Nicola II (EN)

Matteis Nicola II, Nicholas, *ca. 1667, †23 October 1737 Vienna, English violinist and composer of Italian origin, son of Nicola I. He received his musical education from his father. In 1692, he married Frances Williams. `In 1695, he was considered for the position of violin professor at The Royal Academy alongside such musicians as H. Purcell, G.B. Draghi, G. Finger, and G. Keller. On 23 November 1696, his ode in honor of St. Cecilia, Assist, assist! You mighty Sons of Art (lost) was performed at Stationers’ Hall in London. It was repeated four days later in Oxford and on 7 January 1697, at York Buildings in London. On 30 May 1698, “Mr. Nicolas’s Consort of Vocal and Instrumental Musick” gave a concert at York Buildings. After the death of his wife in 1700, he married Susanna Timperley and moved to the Timperley estate in Colkirk. Between 1700 and 1730, he was a violinist at the imperial court in Vienna, and from 1712 he was also the director of instrumental and ballet music at the Hofkapelle; from 1714, he was the principal composer of ballet music for operas performed at the court in Vienna. His son from his first marriage, John Nicola Matteis, returned to England after his father’s death, where he gave violin and French lessons in Shrewsbury in 1737. He died there on 26 October 1760.

His playing style – described by North as “effeminate” in style compared to his father’s, and by Burney as “simple and elegant” – won him the favor of London society and subsequently prestigious positions in Vienna. The main focus of his work was ballet music for operas by composers of the Viennese court, such as A. Caldara, J.J. Fux, G. Bononcini, F.B. Conti, M.’A. Ziani, A. Lotti, G. Porsile, G. Predieri, and G. Reutter. In the ballet suites that conclude each act, Matteis developed the achievements of his predecessors: W. Ebner, J.H. Schmelzer, and J.J. Hoffer by introducing new dances and increasing their number in the cycle. These suites consist of 1–20 short movements, often preceded by an introduction. In addition to dances (minuet, gavotte, bourrée, passepied, courant, etc.), they include programmatic pieces (e.g., “la primavera,” “l’estate”); the climactic functions within the acts are performed by internally contrasting variations of the passacaglia and chaconne type. A large group in Matteis’ ballets are two-part cantilenas (aria grotesca, burlesca, pizzicata, spiccata e forte) with a prominent virtuoso violin part. The instrumental ensemble is based on a trio, and after 1729, a string quartet expanded to include flute, oboe, and bassoon. In several ballets, Matteis introduced one or two brass ensembles (two trumpets, two clarini and timpani). He also used horns and shawms as these instruments grew in popularity at the Viennese court. In his violin concerto and sonatas, Matteis combines his father’s virtuoso style with the melodiousness of A. Corelli and F.M. Veracini’s violin playing. Songs based on English love texts are 1-part, 2-part (with an A ||:B: ||) or three-part with a metrically contrasting section. These are solo miniatures in the style of Italian cantilena with virtuoso passages. His work, combining features of the Italian, French, and German styles, is an example of musical eclecticism.

Literature: Ch. Burney A General History of Music, vol. 3, London 1789; P. Nettl An English Musician at the Court of Charles VI in Vienna, “The Musical Quarterly” XXVIII, 1942; A.D. McCredie Nicola Matteis. English Composer at the Habsburg Court, “Music and Letters” XLVIII, 1967; S.E. Plank A song in imitation of Mr. Nicola’s manner: A melismatic „mouthfull”, “Bach” XVII/2, 1986; A.D. McCredie Nicola Matteis, the Younger. Caldara’s Collaborator and Ballet Composer in the Service of the Emperor Charles VI, in: A. Caldara. Essays on His Life and Times, Aldershot 1987; S. Jones The legacy of the „stupendious” Nicola Matteis, “Early Music” XXIX, 2001.