(b Camaiore, 5 March 1668; .dRome, 22 March 1727). Italian composer and teacher. He presented his first opera in Rome in 1694. In 1701-13 he was maestro di coro at the Ospedale della Pietà in Venice, composing several operas each year. He then returned to Rome, becoming maestro di cappella at S Lorenzo in Lucina in 1717. Among the finest composers of his generation, he wrote c 50 operas, as well as solo cantatas, oratorios and church music (in both strict and concerted styles). Much of his music is contrapuntal, but the arias in his later operas have pre-Classical features. Highly esteemed as a teacher (D. Scarlatti was one of his pupils), he wrote theoretical works including a treatise on figured bass (1708).
A probable student of Corelli, Francesco Gasparini was a composer of some repute, specializing in operas and sacred vocal music. He was also an important educator and canny administrator; it was Gasparini who hired Antonio Vivaldi as violin master at the girls' orphanage where the latter would base most of his career. Most of Gasparini's non-operatic music shows great skill with free counterpoint, and his operas were models for the next generation of composers, notably Handel.
By the time he was about twenty he was serving as organist at Madonna dei Monti in Rome; it was there that he may have studied with Corelli, as well as Pasquini. The next couple of years found him studying voice and composition at the Bologna Philharmonic Academy, but Gasparini seems to have been restless; in 1686 he and his brother were living and studying with Legrenzi in Venice; the following year he was working in Rome as violinist and composer to Cardinal Benedetto Pamphili. In Rome, Gasparini developed a cordial relationship with Alessandro Scarlatti, and in 1705, after Gasparini had relocated to Venice, Scarlatti sent his son Domenico there to study with him.
Gasparini was in Venice because in 1701 he had become director of musical activities at the Ospedale della Pietà; he seems to have landed this post on the strength of the operas and cantatas he had been publishing since the mid 1680s, which were apparently well received. Within five or six years, Gasparini transformed the Ospedale into one of Italy's finest conservatories, with the likes of Antonio Vivaldi on staff. During this time Gasparini became a prolific opera composer, cranking out three or four each year.
By 1713 Gasparini was restless again; he departed the Ospedale, supposedly on a six-month leave, and eventually settled again in Rome. From 1716 to 1718 he worked there as maestro di cappella to Prince Ruspoli; after that he was employed by the Borghese family. Gasparini's production of new operas began to taper off around 1720; he died in 1727, just a few months after taking up the post of maestro di cappella at the church of St. Giovanni in Laterano.
Gasparini's cantatas were technically skillful and much admired, but his greatest influence was in opera, his late works setting stylistic standards for the next generation of composers, including Handel. His manual on the figured bass, L'armonico pratico, was required reading for students until the beginning of the nineteenth century. ~ James Reel, All Music Guide
Francesco Gasparini (19 March 1661 – 22 February 1727) was an Italian Baroque composer and teacher. Born in Camaiore, near Lucca, he was musical director of the Pio Ospedale della Pietà, where he employed Antonio Vivaldi.
Works
Olimpia vendicata, dramma per musica 3 acts (Livorno, dedication 6 Dec. 1686)
Roderico (Bottalino), dramma per musica 3 acts (Livorno, dedication 20 Dec. 1686); revised 25 Jan. 1694 Rome, Pace
Bellerofonte (Conti), dramma per musica 3 acts (carnival 1690 Rome, Collegio Clementino)
Amor vince lo sdegno, ovvero L'Olimpia placata (Aureli), dramma per musica 3 acts (9 Febr. 1692 Rome, Capranica)
La costanza nell'Amor Divino, ovvero La S. Rosalia (3. Act) (Ottoboni), dramma per musica 3 acts (1696 Rome, Cancelleria); revised as L'amante del cielo (13 Febr. 1699 Rome, Collegio Nazareno) (1. Act De Luca, 2. Act Lanciani)
Totila in Roma (Noris), dramma per musica 3 acts (1696 Palermo, S. Cecilia)
Aiace (d'Averara), dramma per musica 3 acts (Nov. 1697 Naples, S. Bartolomeo)
Gerone tiranno di Siracusa (Aureli), dramma per musica 3 acts (1700 Genoa, Teatro Falcone)
Tiberio imperatore d'Oriente (Pallavicini), dramma per musica 3 acts (carnival 1702 Venice, S. Angelo); as Le vicende d'amore e di fortuna (carnival 1709 Venice, S. Fantino)
Gli imenei stabiliti dal caso (Francesco Silvani), dramma per musica 3 acts (carnival 1703 Venice, S. Cassiano)
Il più fedel fra i vassalli (Francesco Silvani), dramma per musica 3 acts (carnival 1703 Venice, S. Cassiano); as Antioco (12 Dec. 1711 London, Haymarket)
Il miglior d'ogni amore per il peggiore d'ogni odio (Francesco Silvani), dramma per musica 3 acts (7 Nov. 1703 Venice, S. Cassiano)
La fede tradita e vendicata (Francesco Silvani) (Venedig, S. Cassiano, dedication 5 Jan. 1704); revised by Giuseppe Vignola (carnival 1707 Naples, S. Bartolomeo); revised by Orlandini (Aug. 1712 Bologna, Teatro Marsigli-Rossi); with arias by Orlandini, Bononcini and Mancini as Ermelinda (26 Febr. 1713 London, Haymarket); revised (carnival 1719 Turin, Teatro Carignano)
La maschera levata al vizio (Francesco Silvani), dramma per musica 3 acts (4 Nov. 1704 Venice, S. Cassiano)
La Fredegonda (Francesco Silvani), dramma per musica 3 acts (Venice, S. Cassiano, dedication 26 Dec. 1704)
Il principato custodito dalla frode (Francesco Silvani), dramma per musica 3 acts (2 Febr. 1705 Venice, S. Cassiano)
L'Alarico, ovvero L'ingratitudine gastigata (Francesco Silvani), dramma per musica 3 acts (1705 Palermo, S. Cecilia), collaboration with Albinoni and others
Antioco (Apostolo Zeno und Pietro Pariati), dramma per musica 3 acts (Nov. 1705 Venice, S. Cassiano)
Ambleto (Hamlet; Apostolo Zeno und Pietro Pariati), dramma per musica 3 acts (carnival 1705 Venice, San Cassiano); revised by G. Vignola (4 Nov. 1711 Naples, Teatro San Bartolomeo); revised (London, Haymarket, dedication 22 Febr. 1712)
Statira (Zeno, Pariati), dramma per musica 3 acts (carnival 1705 Venice, S. Cassiano); revised by G. Vignola as Le regine di Macedonia (1708 Naples, S. Bartolomeo)
Taican re della Cina (Rizzi), tragedy 5 acts (4 Jan. 1707 Venice, S. Cassiano)
L'amor generoso (Zeno), dramma per musica 3 acts (1 Dec. 1707 Venice, S. Cassiano); revised by G. de Bottis (Naples, S. Giovanni dei Fiorentini, dedication 30 Dec. 1708); revised by S. Lapis as La fede in cimento (carnival 1730 Venice, S. Cassiano)
Flavio Anicio Olibrio (Zeno, Pariati), dramma per musica 3 acts (carnival 1707 Venice, S. Cassiano), revised (carnival 1722 Mailand, Regio Ducal); as Ricimero? (carnival 1722 Turin, Teatro Carignano) (one aria by C. I. Monza)
Engelberta (Zeno, Pariati), dramma per musica 5 acts (Acts 4-5 by Gasparini) (carnival 1708 Venice, S. Cassiano); (Acts 1- 3 by Albinoni); Intermezzo La capricciosa e il credulo und Parpagnacco (L'Astrologo)
L'Alciade, ovvero L'eroico amore (La violenza d'amore) (Gasparini), opera tragicomica 3 acts (1. Act Gasparini, 2. Act Pollarolo, 3. Act Ballarotti) (1709 Bergamo); as L'amante impazzito (Autumn 1714 Venice, S. Fantino)
Atenaide (Zeno), dramma per musica 3 Acts; 1. Act Fiorè, 2. Act Caldara, 3. Act Gasparini) (1709 Milan, Ducale); as Teodosio ed Eudossia (Grimani) (Autumn 1716 Wolfenbüttel), Collaboration with Fux and Caldara; as Teodosio (Hamburg, dedication 14 Nov. 1718)
La principessa fedele (Piovene), dramma per musica 3 acts (10 Nov. 1709 Venice, S. Cassiano); Intermezzo Zamberlucco; as Cunegonda? (10 Nov. 1718 Mantua, Arciduale)
Sesostri re d'Egitto (Pariati), dramma per musica 3 acts (carnival 1709 Venice, S. Cassiano); Intermezzo Il nuovo mondo, Tulpiano
La ninfa Apollo (F. de. Lemene), scherzo scenico pastorale (carnival 1709 Venice, S. Cassiano), with Lotti)
L'amor tirannico (Lalli), dramma per musica 5 acts (Autumn 1710 Venice, S. Cassiano)
Tamerlano (Piovene), Tragödie (24 Jan. 1711 Venice, S. Cassiano); revised as Bajazet (1719 Reggio Emilia, Pubblico); revised as Bajazette (1723 Venice, S. Samuele, Fiera dell'Ascensione)
Costantino (Zeno, Pariati), dramma per musica 5 acts (8 Nov. 1711 Venice, S. Cassiano)
Metrope (Zeno), dramma per musica 3 acts (carnival 1711 Venice, S. Cassiano)
L'Eraclio (Bernadoni), dramma per musica 3 acts (1. Act anonymous, 2. Act Gasparini, 3. Act Pollarolo) (1712 Rome, Cancelleria)
Il commando non inteso ed ubbidito (Francesco Silvani), dramma per musica 3 acts (carnival 1713 Mailand, Regio Ducal); as Zoe, ovvero Il commando non inteso ed ubbidito (carnival 1721 Rome, Pace); Intermezzo Trasone e Arete
La verità nell'inganno (Francesco Silvani), dramma per musica 3 acts (carnival 1713 Venice, S. Cassiano)
L'amore politico e generoso della regina Ermengarda, dramma per musica 3 acts (Spring 1713 Mantua), with Capelli
Lucio Papirio (Salvi), dramma per musica 3 acts (carnival 1714 Rome, Capranica); Intermezzo Barilotto e Serpina
Eumene (Zeno), dramma per musica 3 acts (1714 Reggio Emilia, Pubblico); revised (1 Oct. 1715 Naples, Reggio Palazzo), with 17 arias by Leo; Intermezzo Mirena e Floro, L'alfier fanfarone
Amor vince l'odio, ovvero Timocrate (Salvi), dramma per musica 3 acts (11 Febr. 1715 Florence, Cocomero); Intermezzo Lisetta
Il tartaro nella Cina (Salvi), dramma per musica 3 acts (1715 Reggio Emilia, Pubblico)
Il Ciro (Noris), dramma per musica 3 acts (carnival 1716 Rome, Capranica)
Vincislao (Zeno), dramma per musica 3 acts (carnival 1716 Rome, Capranica); reworking of opera by Mancini (26 Dec. 1714 Naples, S. Bartolomeo); Intermezzo Gildo e Gerilda
Il gran Cid (Alberghetti, Serino), dramma per musica 3 acts (carnival 1717 Naples, S. Bartolomeo)
Intermezzi in derisione della setta maomettana (Gigli), dramma per musica 3 acts (carnival 1717 Rome, Seminario Romano)
Pirro (Zeno), dramma per musica 3 acts (carnival 1717 Rome, Capranica)
Il Trace in catena (Salvi), dramma per musica 3 acts (carnival 1717 Rome, Capranica),with two students of 2 Gasparini
Democrito, dramma per musica 3 acts (carnival 1718 Turin, Carignano)
Nana francese e Armena (Mirena e Floro) Intermezzo (Febr. 1718 Dresden)
Astianatte (Salvi), dramma per musica 3 acts (carnival 1719 Rome, Teatro Alibert); revised (carnival 1722 Milan, Regio Ducal)
Lucio Vero (Zeno), dramma per musica 3 acts (carnival 1719 Rome, Teatro Alibert)
Tigrane re d'Armenia, dramma per musica 3 acts (1719 Hamburg), with Conti, Orlandini and Vivaldi
L'oracolo del fato (Pariati), componimento per musica (1 Oct. 1719 Vienna, Hoftheater)
Amore e maestà (Salvi), dramma per musica 3 acts (carnival 1720 Rome, Teatro Alibert)
Faramondo (after Zeno), dramma per musica 3 acts (carnival 1720 Rome, Teatro Alibert)
La pace fra Seleuco e Tolomeo (Morselli, revised Trabucco), dramma per musica 3 acts (carnival 1720 Mailand, Regio Ducal)
L'avaro (Salvi), Intermezzo (1720 Florenz?); Intermezzo Pancrazio e Fiammetta (Autumn 1720 Venice, S. Angelo); Intermezzi La verità in cimento by Vivaldi
Nino (Zanelli), dramma per musica 3 acts (1. Act Capelli, 2. Act Gasparini, 3. Act Bononcini) (1720 Reggio Emilia, Pubblico)
