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Simon Mayr

 
Music Encyclopedia: (Johannes) Simon Mayr
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(b Mendorf, 14 June 1763; d Bergamo, 2 Dec 1845). German composer. From 1789 he studied with Bertoni in Venice, soon establishing himself as one of the foremost opera composers in Italy. Among his most successful works, Che originali (1798), Ginevra di Scozia (1801), La rosa bianca e la rosa rossa (1813) and Medea in Corinto (1813) were staged repeatedly throughout Italy and performed abroad up to 1850, long after his reputation had been eclipsed by Rossini, Mercadante and Donizetti, his devoted pupil. From 1802 he was maestro di cappella in Bergamo, teaching, composing sacred music (over 600 items) and organizing performances of works by Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven. His works show diverse influences from Gluck to the late Neapolitan opera composers, but they also reveal a colourful orchestration new to Italy and a skilful construction of long dramatic segments bridging several scenes.


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Wikipedia: Simon Mayr
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For the 17th-century astronomer, see Simon Marius.
Johann Simon Mayr

Johann(es) Simon Mayr (also spelled Majer, Mayer, Maier), also known in Italian as Giovanni Simone Mayr or Simone Mayr (14 June 1763 in Mendorf near Altmannstein, Landkreis Eichstätt – 2 December 1845 in Bergamo) was a German composer.

Contents

Life

He was born in Bavaria and studied theology at the University of Ingolstadt, continuing his studies in Italy from 1787. He was closely associated with the Bavarian Illuminati of Adam Weishaupt while a student in Ingolstadt, and the ideals of the French Enlightenment were a strong influence on his philosophy as a musician as corroborated by his famed Zibaldone or "Notebooks" compiled toward the end of his career.

Shortly thereafter, he took music lessons with Carlo Lenzi, and later with Ferdinando Bertoni. He moved to Bergamo in 1802 and was appointed maestro di cappella at the Cathedral of Bergamo, succeeding his old teacher Lenzi. He held the post until his death, and became a central figure in the city's musical life, organizing concerts and introducing Ludwig van Beethoven's music there. He was music teacher to Gaetano Donizetti. By the end of his life, he was blind. He is buried in the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, Bergamo, just in front of the tomb of his famous pupil.

Mayr's astonishing list of works, among which are almost seventy operas, are rarely performed today.

Works

See List of compositions by Simon Mayr and List of operas by Mayr

Recordings

  • Ginevra di Scozia - Elisabeth Vidal (soprano); Daniela Barcellona (mezzo-soprano); Antonio Siragusa (tenor); Luca Grassi (baritone); Giuseppina Piunti (soprano); Marco Lazzara (countertenor); Orchestra del Teatro Verdi di Trieste; Tiziano Severini (conductor). Label: Opera Rara ORC23
  • Fedra (Chiaudani, Nelsen, Zagorski, Lee; Schaller) OEHMS Classics 920
  • Medea in Corinto (Eaglen, Kenny, Ford, Miles; Parry) Opera Rara ORC11
  • La Rosa Bianca e la Rosa Rossa (Antonacci, Anselmi, Serraicocca, Canonici, Facini; Briccetti) Fonit Cetra RFCD 2007
  • Verter (Herrmann, Gemmabella, Cicchetti, Salsi, Zarelli; Terracini) Bongiovanni GB 2343-4.

Bibliography

  • Heinrich Bauer: Simon Mayr 1763-1845, Meister der italienischen Oper aus der bayerischen Oberpfalz. (Munich : Bayer. Vereinsbank), 1983
  • Franz Hauk: Johann Simon Mayr und Venedig. (Munich : Katzbichler), 1999. - ISBN 3-87397-1534
  • John Stewart Allitt: Giovanni Simone Mayr - Vita, musica, pensiero. (Villa di Serio (BG), Edizioni Villadiseriane), 1995

Film

  • Martin Pfeil: Der vergessene Musiker: Johann Simon Mayer (1763-1845). INTV Media Ingolstadt, 1995 (VHS, 30 Min.)

External links


This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

 
 

 

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