Charles-Antoine Campion facts for kids

Charles-Antoine Campion (born November 16, 1720, died April 12, 1788) was a French-Italian composer. He was born in Lorraine, France. Campion wrote a lot of music. His style connected the older Baroque music with the newer Classical music.

Life of Charles-Antoine Campion

Early Years and Work in Livorno

Campion was born in Lunéville, a town in Lorraine. Not much is known about his early music lessons. His family moved to Florence, Italy, in 1737. This happened when Francis of Lorraine became the Grand Duke of Tuscany.

During this time, Campion likely met Giuseppe Tartini, who became his teacher. From 1752 to 1762, Campion worked as the Chapel Master at the Cathedral in Livorno. He was friends with important people. In 1760, his opera, Venere placata, was performed. This was for the royal wedding of Joseph II and Princess Isabella of Parma.

In 1763, Campion was chosen to be the Master of the Court Chapel in Florence. This job combined the Cathedral and Baptistry music roles. It's thought that Father Giovanni Battista Martini might have suggested Campion for the job. Campion and Martini wrote letters to each other. They both loved old music.

Working in Florence and Becoming Famous

Campion's new job in Florence helped bring music back to the court. The new Grand Duke, Peter Leopold, wanted to make music important again. While working in Florence, Campion became well-known in Italy and Europe. People admired his good taste and his collection of old music.

Charles Burney, a famous music writer, said Campion's music collection was amazing. He said it was second only to Father Martini's collection. In the 1760s, Campion traveled to share his music. He printed his music in Amsterdam and Paris. Walsh also published his works in London.

Walsh's versions of Campion's music became popular around the world. Thomas Jefferson, who later became a U.S. President, loved Campion's violin music. He even kept a list of Campion's violin songs. In 1766, Campion married Margherita Perloz Brunet. She was good at playing the harpsichord and was also a painter. Campion wrote some keyboard music for her.

There is also information that Campion met Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in Florence in 1770. Mozart was only fourteen years old at the time.

Later Years and a Disagreement

In the 1770s, Campion had a big disagreement with Marquise Eugenio di Ligniville. Ligniville was also from Lorraine. He had helped Campion get his job as Master of the Unified Courts. Ligniville himself was also given a job as Superintendent of Music for the Royal Chamber and Chapel.

Their jobs were different. Ligniville was supposed to arrange complex music performances. Campion's job was to handle the daily music and office tasks. However, in 1772, Ligniville complained to the Grand Duke. He said Campion was not managing the music well. It seemed like Ligniville wanted Campion's job.

But many people at the court did not agree with Ligniville. The Grand Duke and his helpers liked Campion. Campion showed his skills by writing a music book. It was called Trattato teorico e pratico dell'accompagnamento del cimbalo. This book was for Peter Leopold.

Father Martini became involved in the debate. Even though he was closer to Ligniville, Martini said Campion was very talented. Because of his unfair complaints, Ligniville lost his job in 1776. Campion, however, kept his position. He received many honors until he passed away in 1788.

Works and Music Style

Campion wrote a lot of music. His style was a mix of older Baroque and newer Classical styles. He composed many pieces for the harpsichord and string instruments. These pieces were very popular outside of Italy. They had a strong, colorful style, likely influenced by his teacher, Tartini.

Campion also wrote a lot of sacred music, which is music for religious services. In his sacred music, he used a very strict and traditional way of writing music called counterpoint. Many of his sacred songs were written for special events at court. For example, he wrote a Requiem (a funeral mass) when Francis I of Lorraine died in 1766.

He also wrote a Te Deum (a hymn of praise) in 1768. This was for the birth of the future emperor, Francis II. This piece needed almost 200 musicians! Another Requiem was written in 1781 for the death of Maria Theresa.

It's interesting that Campion didn't write many non-religious celebration pieces. The only one mentioned is Venere placata for the wedding of Josef II. He also started an unfinished piece called Etruria fortunata for Peter Leopold. It was probably not finished because Campion died. He also wrote some non-celebration songs like T'amo bell'idol mio.

Images for kids

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  Letter send by Charles-Antoine Campion to Giovanni Battista Martini on 15 December 1772. Part of "Carteggi" Collection of Museo Internazionale e Biblioteca della Musica, Bologna, Italy

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  Autograph of Responsori per le Settimana Santa, composed by Campion in 1780 and conserved in Florence Conservatory