thumb|right|upright|niccolÃ² piccinni niccolÃ² piccinni (16 january 1728 &ndash; 7 may 1800) was an italian composer of symphonies, sacred music, chamber music, and opera. although he is somewhat obscure, even to music lovers today, piccinni was one of the most popular composers of operaâparticularly the neapolitan opera buffaâof his day. == life == piccinni was born in bari, and educated under leonardo leo and francesco durante, at the s. onofrio conservatory. for this, he had to thank the intervention of the bishop of bari, since his father, although himself a musician, was opposed to his son's following the same career. piccinni's first opera, le donne dispettose, was produced in 1755, and in 1760 he composed, at rome, the chef d'Åuvre of his early life, la cecchina, ossia la buona figliuola, an opera buffa with a libretto by goldoni, which "enjoyed a two-year run in rome and was played in all the important european capitals. it can probably be called the most popular opera buffa of the 18th century...[even more than]... pergolesi's la serva padrona...[and]... the first of the new era, culminating in the masterworks of mozart."holmes (oct. 1952) la buona figliuola represents a special moment in the history of eighteenth-century music in which comedy began to take on a new dramatic force. it is the moment at which the self-consciously sentimental theatrical project of carlo goldoni (the opera's librettist) is married with the developing musical language of classicism. this can especially be seen in the sensitive writing of cecchina's act ii aria "una povera ragazza."lazarevich, gordana, la cecchina, in grove music online, laura macy, ed (accessed june 7, 2008) the opera was such a success that fashions of dress, shops, and houses were all named after la cecchina.hogarth, george, memoires of the musical drama (london, 1838), 134-5. it also set off a debate about the merits of the new sentimental style, especially in england, where conservative reactionaries were wary of the supposed feminizing influence of modern italian music. antonio baretti commented in 1768 that individuals âof weight and considerationâ should not be blamed for condemning âthose puny gentlemenâ who, as enthusiasts of italian opera, were able to âfeel its minuet niceties, and to be of course in rapture with the languishing cecchinaâs of piccini .â this modern music, baretti decried, âfar from having any power of increasing courage or any manly virtues, has on the contrary a tendency towards effeminacy and cowardliness.âbaretti, giuseppe marco antonio. an account of the manners and customs of italy; with observations on the mistakes of some travellers, with regard to that country. vol i (dublin, 1768), 2
1728_births 1800_deaths Classical-period_composers Italian_classical_composers Italian_music Italian_musicians Neapolitan_school_composers Opera_composers People_from_Bari