Giovanni Battista Martini

Giovanni Battista Martini or Giambattista Martini called Padre Martini, OFM Conv (* April 24, 1706 in Bologna, † August 3, 1784 ) was an Italian composer and music theorist.

Life

Giovanni Battista Martini received his first music lessons from his father, Antonio Maria Martini, a violinist and cellist. Other teachers were Padre Pradieri (harpsichord ), Giovanni Antonio Riccieri ( 1679-1746 ), counterpoint), Giacomo Antonio Perti (composition), Angelo Predieri ( 1655-1731 ) and Francesco Antonio Pistocchi.

In 1722 he joined the Minorit. He undertook his training to great trips, and then devoted himself exclusively to music. 1725, he was the bandmaster of the Franciscan church in Bologna, where he drew attention to himself with his compositions. He founded a music school, the " Liceo Musicale di Bologna ", which was continued after his death by his pupil Stanislao Mattei to the 19th century and many renowned artists Italy and abroad has trained.

As a teacher, he preferred the old Roman compositional tradition. He was a great teacher and music theorist who had a library of about 15,000 volumes and was considered the highest authority in musical matters, which is why his advice was consulted in many disputes. Johann Christian Bach and Florian Leopold Gassmann was one of his students. In winter 1770, the young Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was on his first trip to Italy Martini instructed in counterpoint. Other composers sought Martinis Council, for example, Giovanni Battista cirri, Vicente Martín y Soler, Christoph Willibald Gluck, Niccolò Jommelli, André Grétry, Antonio Boroni.

Martini wrote important textbooks on music and standing with renowned musicians and scholars from all over Europe in correspondence.

Works

Padre Martini created next to 32 exhibitions and a Requiem mainly religious music, most remained unpublished, the " Liceo " in Bologna has several manuscripts. Two oratorios, the Litaniae atque antlphonae finales BV Mariae 1734 and numerous cantatas and arias. In all, he composed 94 sonatas for keyboard instruments, including the twelve Sonate d' intavolalura, six sonatas for harpsichord and Duetti da camera ( sonatas for flute and basso continuo ). to get 24 Sinfonias, including the " Sinfonia con violoncello violino obbligati " and several concertos for solo instruments and strings. Martini wrote five works for the stage, including " L' impresario delle canarie " (1744).

His most precious heritage significance are the theoretical works:

• Storia della musica, 3 vols Bologna, 1757-1781 ( large-scale, but incomplete history of music )
• Saggio fondamentale pratico di sopra il canto contrapunto Fermo, 2 vols Bologna, 1774-1775 ( Theory of Composition )
• Compendio della teoria de ' numerical per uso del musico. Bologna 1769

He kept his skills as a composer in his textbook Saggio fondamentale pratico di contrapunto that lacking as a music historian in his famous Storia della musica, which, though unfinished, and a systematic arrangement, but has served many later music history works as a starting point.