Giuseppe Bonno facts for kids
Giuseppe Bonno (born January 29, 1711 – died April 15, 1788) was a famous composer from Austria. He had Italian family roots. His full name was sometimes written as Josef or Josephus Johannes Baptizta Bon.
Giuseppe was born in Vienna, Austria. His father worked for the Austrian royal family. He started learning music with Johann Georg Reinhardt. Reinhardt was an important musician at the royal court. He was also the main music director, called a Kapellmeister, at St Stephen's.
In 1726, Giuseppe was sent to Naples, Italy. There, he studied church music with Francesco Durante. He also learned about opera from Leonardo Leo.
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Becoming a Court Composer
Giuseppe Bonno moved back to Vienna in 1736. He became a composer for the royal court. This meant he wrote music for the emperor and his family. In the 1750s and 1760s, he also worked as a Kapellmeister for a prince. This prince was from Saxe-Hildburghausen.
In 1774, Bonno became the Imperial court conductor. This was a very important job. He took over after Florian Leopold Gassmann passed away. Bonno worked for Emperor Joseph II. He continued to live and work in Vienna until he died.
Bonno's Musical Works
Giuseppe Bonno's music is not often heard today. But he was a very important musician in Vienna during his time. His musical pieces were performed often. He worked with two main writers for his operas. These writers were called librettists. They wrote the stories and words for the music. His main librettists were Giovanni Claudio Pasquini and Metastasio.
Metastasio was also living in Vienna at the same time as Bonno. Bonno wrote the first music for many of Metastasio's works. These included Il natale di Giove and Il vero omaggio. He also wrote music for Il re pastore. Later, other famous composers like Mozart set this story to music. Other works Bonno set were L'eroe cinese and L'isola disabitata. Haydn also wrote music for L'isola disabitata.
Most of Bonno's music was for singers. This included operas for the stage. He also wrote oratorios. Oratorios are like operas but without costumes or acting. They are usually based on religious stories. He also composed masses and other sacred pieces for church.
Bonno in Popular Culture
Giuseppe Bonno is a character in a famous play. The play is called Amadeus. It was written by Peter Shaffer. Bonno is a quiet, supporting character in the play. In the movie version of Amadeus, Patrick Hines played Bonno.
List of Works
Operas by Bonno
Oratorios by Bonno
- Eleazaro (1739)
- San Paolo in Athene (1740)
- Isacco figura del redentore (1759) – see Isacco figura del redentore for Metastasio's story and other composers' music
- Il Giuseppe riconosciuto (1774) – see Giuseppe riconosciuto for Metastasio's story and other composers' music
