Alessandro Stradella |

Alessandro Stradella

Stradella. Pieta Signore (Beniamino Gigli)

As a boy, he sang in the choir of the church of San Marcello in Rome, was a student of E. Bernabei. One of the early Op. Stradella – motet in honor of Filippo Neri (written for Queen Christina of Sweden, 1663). From 1665 he was in the service of the Colonna family. Stradella was also patronized by the noble families of Flavio Orsini and Panfili-Aldobrandini. He traveled a lot: in 1666-78 he visited Venice, Florence, Vienna, Turin, Genoa. He wrote cantatas, operas, as well as prologues, interludes, arias (including for the “Tordino” in Rome). Information about Stradella’s life is scarce. He was killed by mercenaries of the Lomellini family out of revenge. A legend about miracles has developed around the personality of Stradella. the power of his music, conquering even intruders. Romantic. events from the life of Stradella form the basis of the opera “Alessandro Stradella” by Flotov (1844).

With outstanding music talent, Stradella, however, did not found a school. He was a brilliant melodist (he created excellent examples of bel canto, as well as virtuoso arias), was fluent in polyphony and organically felt the muses. form. He owns the dec. genres (manuscripts are scattered in the libraries of Modena, Naples, Venice). He made a great contribution to the development of the oratorio, cantata, concerto grosso.

Compositions: operas, including Trespolo’s Foolish Guardian (Il Trespolo tutore, 1676, posted posthumously, 1686, Modena), The Power of Fatherly Love (La forza dell’amor paterno, 1678, tr Falcone, Genoa); interludes; prologues, including those to the operas Dory and Titus by Honor, Jason by Cavalli; oratorios – John the Baptist (in Italian, not Latin text, 1676), etc.; St. 200 cantatas (many on own texts); 18 symphonies, concerto grosso; prod. for skr. and basso continuo, for Skr., Vlch. and basso contniuo; motets, madrigals, etc.

References: Сatelani A., Delle opere di Alessandro Stradella esistenti nell’archivio musicale della Biblioteca Palatina di Modena, Modena, 1866; Grawford F.M., Stradella, L., 1911; Rolland R., L’opéra au XVII sícle en Italie, in: Encyclopédie de la musique et dictionnaire du conservatoire, fondateur A. Lavignac, partie 1, (v. 2), P., 1913 (Russian translation — Rolland R., Opera in the 1931th century in Italy, Germany, England, M., 1); Giazotto R., Vita di Alessandro Stradella, v. 2-1962, Mil., (XNUMX).

TH Solovieva