Giuseppe Gazzaniga facts for kids
Giuseppe Gazzaniga (born October 5, 1743 – died February 1, 1818) was an Italian composer. He was part of the famous Neapolitan school of opera composers. He wrote many operas, about fifty-one in total! He is known as one of the last Italian composers who wrote opera buffa, which means "comic opera."
Biography
Giuseppe Gazzaniga was born in Verona, Italy. His parents were very religious. They wanted him to become a priest. But Giuseppe really loved music. He convinced his father to let him study music instead.
He started his music studies in Venice. Then he went to the Conservatorio di Sant'Onofrio a Porta Capuana in Naples. There, he learned from famous teachers like Niccolò Piccinni and Nicola Porpora.
Gazzaniga showed his first opera in 1768. It was called Il barone di Trocchia. He presented it at the Teatro di San Carlo in Naples. For many years, he wrote mostly operas in Italy. He also traveled to places like Dresden, Vienna, and Prague.
His most famous opera was Don Giovanni Tenorio. He wrote it in 1787. The story for this opera was written by Giovanni Bertati. Some people think it might have inspired Mozart's very famous opera, Don Giovanni.
Gazzaniga's last opera was Martino Carbonaro. It was performed in Venice in 1801. Besides operas, he also wrote a symphony and three piano concertos.
In 1791, he became the music director. This was at the Crema Cathedral in northern Italy. There, he wrote many religious music pieces. These included cantatas, oratorios, and masses. He stayed in this job until he passed away in 1818.
Works
Giuseppe Gazzaniga wrote many different kinds of music. He was most famous for his operas. He also wrote religious music and music for instruments.
Operas
Gazzaniga wrote over 50 operas. Many of them were opera buffa, or comic operas. These were popular in Italy during his time. Some of his notable operas include:
- Il barone di Trocchia (1768)
- La locanda (1771)
- Il Calandrino (1771)
- Don Giovanni Tenorio (1787)
- Martino Carbonaro o sia Gli sposi fuggitivi (1801)
Selected sacred music
He also composed many pieces for church services. These included:
- San Mauro Abate (oratorio)
- Sansone (oratorio)
- I profeti al calvario (oratorio)
- Missa pro defunctis (Mass for the dead)
- Te Deum laudamus
- Requiem
- Gloria in excelsis Deo
- Kyrie breve
- Credo
- Two different Tamtum ergo
- Stabat Mater (1800)
Selected instrumental music
Gazzaniga also wrote music for instruments. These pieces were not for singing.
- Three piano concertos (music for piano and orchestra)
- One symphony (a large piece for an orchestra)
