Francesco Antonio Bonporti facts for kids
Francesco Antonio Bonporti (born June 11, 1672 – died December 19, 1749) was an Italian priest and a talented composer. He wasn't a full-time musician, but he loved creating music.
Bonporti was born in Trento, a city in Italy. In 1691, when he was 19, he went to Rome to study theology, which is the study of religious beliefs. While in Rome, he also took music lessons. He learned how to compose music from a teacher named Giuseppe Ottavio Pitoni. It's also possible he studied the violin with the famous musician Arcangelo Corelli, but this isn't fully confirmed.
After finishing his studies, Bonporti returned to Trento and became a priest in 1695.
Bonporti's music includes twelve main collections of works, which are called opera (meaning "works" in Latin). These were published between 1696 and 1736. He had an important influence on Johann Sebastian Bach, another very famous composer. Bonporti's work helped Bach develop a type of musical piece called an invention. In fact, some of Bonporti's pieces were even mistakenly thought to be Bach's for a while! Bach actually took four of Bonporti's violin pieces (from his Op. 10) and rewrote them for the harpsichord.
Bonporti lived in Padua from 1740 until he passed away in 1749.
Bonporti's Musical Works
Bonporti created twelve main collections of music, known as opera (plural of opus). An opus number is like a catalog number for a composer's works, usually given in the order they were published. His music was published in different places, including Italy, France, and England.
Here are some of his important works:
- Op. 1: Suonate a Tre (Sonatas for Three Instruments), published in 1696. These were for two violins and a cello.
- Op. 2: Sonate da Camera à tre (Chamber Sonatas for Three Instruments), published around 1701. These were for two violins and a bass instrument.
- Op. 3: Motetti a canto solo (Motets for Solo Voice), published in 1702. These included violins.
- Op. 4: Sonate da Camera à tre (Chamber Sonatas for Three Instruments), published around 1706.
- Op. 5: Arie, baletti e correnti (Arias, Ballets, and Correntes), from around 1704. This collection is no longer available.
- Op. 6: Sonate da Camera à tre (Chamber Sonatas for Three Instruments), published around 1706.
- Op. 7: Sonate à Violino solo e basso continuo (Sonatas for Solo Violin and Bass), published around 1707-1708.
- Op. 8: This work is believed to be lost, but it was called Le Triomphe de la grande Aliance (The Triumph of the Grand Alliance). It was said to contain one hundred minuets.
- Op. 9: Baletti à Violino solo e basso continuo (Ballets for Solo Violin and Bass), published after 1716.
- Op. 10: Invenzioni a violino solo (Inventions for Solo Violin), published in 1713. These are the pieces that Johann Sebastian Bach later arranged for harpsichord.
- Op. 11: Concerti a quattro (Concertos for Four Instruments), published around 1715. These were for two violins, a viola, and a bass instrument, with an extra violin.
- Op. 12: Concertini e serenate (Little Concertos and Serenades), which included different arias, sicilianas, and recitatives for violin and cello or harpsichord.
Other pieces by Bonporti include:
- Aria cromatica, e variata (Chromatic and Varied Aria), a manuscript from 1720 for violin, cello, and harpsichord.
- Sonata di Buonporti (Sonata by Buonporti), another manuscript.
- Six Sonate à deux Flutes et Basse continue (Six Sonatas for Two Flutes and Bass), which were originally Bonporti's pieces but arranged for flutes by another musician named Corbet.
