Leonardo Vinci

Leonardo da Vinci (c. 1690 in Strongoli, † 27 May to 29 May 1730 in Naples) was an Italian composer of the Baroque.

Life

Vinci was recorded in 1708 in the Conservatorio dei Poveri di Gesù Cristo, where probably Gaetano Greco was his teacher. 1719 he first appeared as a composer to the public with the comic opera Lo Cecato fauzo whose text is written in Neapolitan dialect. It was performed with great applause at the Teatro dei Fiorentini, the first address for comic operas. For this house Vinci wrote in 1722 a number of other similar works that have been lost to Li Zite in galera. Vinci's fame as a composer of musical comedies opened the gates of serious opera. His first Publio Cornelio Scipione Opera seria was received with great applause. Was quickly followed by orders for Foreign stages, especially Rome and Venice. After the death of Alessandro Scarlatti Vinci in 1725, his successor as Pro- Vice Maestro of the Royal Court Orchestra in Naples. His fame was now also penetrated far beyond Italy; so this year resulted in George Frideric Handel in London a pastiche on which he put together from arias Vinci. In February 1728 Vinci joined the Rosary Confraternity of the church of Santa Caterina a Formiello in Naples, and shortly thereafter became Kapellmeister at the Conservatorio dei Poveri di Gesù Cristo. He gave this post from a few months to Francesco Durante, to devote himself to composing operas stronger again can. He became friends with the poet Pietro Metastasio, whose libretti of which were used throughout the 18th century by numerous composers, he set some first: Siroe (1726 Venice), Catone in Utica (1728 Rome), Semiramide riconosciuta and Alessandro nell'Indie (both 1729 Rome). On February 4, 1730 premiere of Artaserse took place in the Teatro delle Dame held in Rome, the success of the all his previous operas surpassed. It is considered Vinci's masterpiece. A little later overtook the composer a sudden and probably unnatural death, the circumstances were never completely clarified. It is said that he had been poisoned because of a love affair. The funeral expenses assumed the Rosary Confraternity of the church of Santa Caterina a Formiello.

Works and musical characteristics

Vinci composed mainly operas, oratorios next to some, cantatas and the Serenata La contesa dei Numi ( 1729 ). Pure Instrumental music does not seem to have him irritated. The 12 Flute Sonatas, which first appeared in 1746 in London in pressure are likely to have been foisted on him by an enterprising publisher - a testament to the pulling power of Vinci's name after his death.

The comic operas, with whom Vinci began his career as a composer are, except for Li Zite in galera ( The Virgins on the galley; Naples 1722) disappeared; the latter is also the oldest Neapolitan opera buffa, the score of which is completely preserved. His work in the field of opera seria includes time immediately follows that of Alessandro Scarlatti, with its artistic principles he largely breaks. In place of the variety of forms which characterizes Scarlatti's operas, a strong tendency for the unification occurs at Vinci. His operas are usually made ​​of a long chain of da capo arias ( mostly around 30 in number), which are connected by recitatives. In addition occasionally a duet for male and female main character, but this is not mandatory by the genus Convention. From this scheme Vinci deviated only occasionally. Thus the overture to Alessandro nell'Indie leads directly into the first scene, set on a deserted battlefield. In Iphigenia in Tauride (Venice 1725) there is a trio. Catone in Utica ends with an accompanied recitative of the orchestra, during which the title character on the stage commits suicide ( a scene that made ​​the contemporary audience for riots ).

While the arias in Scarlatti are often accompanied by only a few, but carefully crafted instrumental parts, Vinci preferred the full string orchestra, which is sometimes reinforced by oboes and horns. This results in a clear division of labor: The supporting melody played by the violins in unison, the other voices take over the rhythmically and harmonically supportive accompaniment, which often has a purely mechanical function. The result is a sonorous, scale orchestral writing, which forms a " red carpet " for the singing voice. This was Vinci's main focus. He succeeded in frequently to make the text very effectively to blades, especially when it comes to librettos by Metastasio, whose verses are made for this kind of music. His extraordinary talent in inventing melodies that also flatter the throats of singers such as the ears of the audience, is probably the main reason for Vinci's great success during his lifetime.

Appreciation

Vinci as well as shiny elegant style became the model for a whole generation of opera composers, especially for Johann Adolf Hasse, the most important members of the genus by Vinci's early death. Metastasio seals and Vinci's music have influenced the appearance of opera in the 18th century decisively. The Vinci for characterizing, rounded and symmetrical formations melody, which he introduced one of the first in the operatic aria, also influenced the instrumental music and prepared for the musical styles of classical music. This is certainly no small merit. A just appreciation of the composer is of course only be possible if at least some of his operas return to the stage again. The " historical performance practice " has yet to lift some treasure here. However, a first step in this was the very sympathetically received by the press and public production of his last opera, L' Artaserse (Rome 1730) after the famous libretto by Metastasio, by the Music Workshop Vienna in February 2007. The label Virgin Classics, published in 2012 just this opera finally also the first complete recording of a work by Vinci. In the recording, originally written for castrati roles are taken over by countertenors and male sopranos.