Giuseppe Sarti facts for kids
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Giuseppe Sarti (baptised 1 December 1729 – 28 July 1802) was a famous Italian composer who wrote many operas. He was known for his beautiful music and for teaching other great musicians.
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His Early Life and Career
Giuseppe Sarti was born in Faenza, Italy. We don't know his exact birthday, but he was baptised on December 1, 1729. He was a very talented musician from a young age. By the time he was 13, he was already an organist in Faenza. An organist is someone who plays the organ, a large musical instrument often found in churches.
He later went to study music with a famous teacher named Padre Martini in Bologna. In 1750, Sarti decided to focus on writing music for plays, which are called operas. By 1752, he became the director of the theater in Faenza.
Journey to Copenhagen and Venice
In 1752, Sarti created his first known opera, called Il re pastore. The next year, he traveled to Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark. By 1755, the King of Denmark, Frederick V of Denmark, made him the Hofkapellmeister. This was a very important job, meaning he was the main music director for the royal court and the opera. While in Copenhagen, he wrote another opera called Ciro riconosciuto.
In 1765, Sarti went back to Italy to find new singers for the opera. However, King Frederick died, and Sarti's job in Denmark ended. In 1766, he became the choir master at a special music school in Venice called the Ospedale della Pietà. He stayed there until 1767.
Milan, Russia, and Famous Friends
After a short time in London giving music lessons, Sarti was chosen in 1779 to be the maestro di cappella at the main cathedral in Milan. This meant he was the head of music for the cathedral. He stayed in Milan until 1784. During this time, he wrote more than twenty successful operas and a lot of sacred music for the church. He also taught many talented students, including the famous composer Cherubini.
In 1784, a powerful ruler, Empress Catherine II of Russia, invited Sarti to St. Petersburg. On his way there, he stopped in Vienna, Austria. The Emperor Joseph II was very impressed by Sarti's opera Fra i due litiganti il terzo gode. In Vienna, Sarti also met two other very famous composers: Mozart and Salieri.
Sarti arrived in St. Petersburg in 1785 and quickly took charge of the opera. He wrote many new pieces for the Russian opera. He also composed some amazing sacred music, including a Te Deum (a type of hymn) to celebrate a military victory. For this piece, he even used real cannons firing as part of the music! In 1793, Sarti started the Russian Conservatory for Music, which was a big step for music education in Russia.
He stayed in Russia until 1801, when his health began to fail. The new emperor, Alexander, allowed him to return home with a good pension (money paid regularly). Empress Catherine had even given him noble titles. Sarti died in Berlin in 1802 while on his way back to Italy.
One of Sarti's operas, Fra i due litiganti il terzo gode, became even more famous because Mozart used a tune from it in a scene in his own opera, Don Giovanni.
His Musical Works
Giuseppe Sarti wrote many operas and other musical pieces. You can find a full list of his operas here: List of operas by Giuseppe Sarti.
He also composed many sonatas for instruments like the harpsichord, violin, and flute. A sonata is a piece of music usually for one or two instruments.
Images for kids
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Giuseppe Sarti
See also
In Spanish: Giuseppe Sarti para niños
