celebrity writers

Antonio Sacchini

18th Century Italian Opera Composer, Famous for 'Oedipe'

Jun 10, 2008

Brief biography of Antonio Sacchini, Italian Opera composer of the Classical Era best-known for opera seria. Famous for 'Oedipe a Colonne.'

Antonio Sacchini was an Italian operatic composer of the Neapolitan School, one of the leading composers of opera seria. He is best known for his opera Oedipe a Colonne, which was in the repertory of the Paris Opera for more than half a century.

Early Life of Antonio Sacchini in Naples

Antonio Maria Gasparo Gioacchino Sacchini, was born on June 14, 1730, in Florence, Italy. The family moved to Naples when he was four. Sacchini was a favourite pupil of Francisco Durante’s at the Santa Maria di Loreto conservatory in Naples.

It was in Naples that he presented his first two stage works and became secondo maestro in 1761, at the age of 31. Sacchini's reputation was positive in his day that he had invitations to compose comic works for the two theatres. In fact, he became so popular that he left the conservatory to continue composing operas.

Venice and Rome

Sacchini was active in Venice, Rome, and Naples from 1762 until 1769. From the 1760s he composed operas, buffa (comic) and seria (serious.) He also became renowned as a singing teacher.

Munich and London

In the 1770s, he presented three operas in Germany supervising performances of his works in Munich and Stuttgart, and worked in London for nine years winning great popularity.

Paris

Sadly, he led a dissolute life gaining more enemies. He finally settled in Paris in 1782 enjoying the Parisian way of life. The story was that Sacchini was Niccoló Piccinni’s most intimidating Italian rival. He died in Paris on October 6, 1786.

Opera Seria

More than half of Sacchini’s 45 operas were serious operas. He was known for his operas' expressive melodies and wide range of harmony. His French operas, especially Oedipe (Oedipus, performed only in 1787 a year after his death and considered his masterpiece, successfully combine features with impressive choral scenes, influenced by Christoph Willibald Gluck, and point towards Gaspare Spontini’s grand opera.

Aside from operas, Sacchini also composed 2 symphonies, chamber music including 6 string quartets, and oratorios.

Sacchini's Operas

Fra Donato, Naples, 1756
Il giocatore, Naples, 1757
Olimpia tradita, Naples, 1758
Il copista burlato, Naples, 1759
Il testaccio, Rome, 1760
La finta contessa, Rome, 1761
L'amore in campo, Rome, 1762
Alessandro Severo, Venice, 1763
Semiramide riconosciuta, Rome, 1764
Il finto pazzo per amore, Rome, 1765
Creso, Naples, 1765 revised London, 1774
La contadina in corte, Rome, 1765, London, 1782, a popular comic opera
L'isola d'amore, Rome, 1766, Framery's parody score
Artaserse, Rome, 1768
Nicoraste, Venice, 1769
Scipione in Cartagena, Munich, 1770
Ezio, Naples, 1771
Armida, Milan, 1772
Il Cid, London, 1773
Perseo, London, 1774
Montezuma, London, 1775
L'amore soldato, London, 1778
Enea e Lavinia, London, 1779
Mitridate, London, 1781
Renaud, Paris, 1783 revisione di Armida, score
Chimène (Fontainebleau, 1783) revised version of Il gran Cidde
Dardanus, Paris, 1784, score
Oedipe a Colonne, Versailles, 1786, score
Arvire et Evelina, Paris, 1788, completed by Jean-Baptiste Rey

Sources

Antonio Sacchini by David Di Chiera, The Grove Dictionary of Opera, edited by Stanley Sadie, London, 1992

The Grove Dictionary of Music, edited by Stanley Sadie, Macmillan, London, 1994

The copyright of the article Antonio Sacchini in Classical Composers is owned by Tel Asiado. Permission to republish Antonio Sacchini in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.