Johann(es) Simon Mayr (also spelled Majer, Mayer, Maier), also known in Italian as Giovanni Simone Mayr or Simone Mayr (14 June 1763 – 2 December 1845), was a German

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Def ...

. His music reflects the transition from the Classical to the Romantic musical era. He was an early inspiration to Rossini and taught and advocated for Donizetti.

Life

He was born in Mendorf near

Altmannstein Altmannstein (Central Bavarian: ''Oidmannstoa'') is a municipality in the district of Eichstätt in Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. Wit ...

, Landkreis Eichstätt,

Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total l ...

, and studied

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing th ...

at the

University of Ingolstadt The University of Ingolstadt was founded in 1472 by Louis the Rich, the Duke of Bavaria at the time, and its first Chancellor was the Bishop of Eichstätt. It consisted of five faculties: humanities, sciences, theology, law, and medicine, all o ...

, continuing his studies in Italy from 1787. He was closely associated with the

Illuminati The Illuminati (; plural of Latin ''illuminatus'', 'enlightened') is a name given to several groups, both real and fictitious. Historically, the name usually refers to the Bavarian Illuminati, an Enlightenment-era secret society founded on ...

Adam Weishaupt Johann Adam Weishaupt (; 6 February 1748 – 18 November 1830)''Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie'Vol. 41, p. 539Engel, Leopold. ''Geschichte des Illuminaten-ordens''. Berlin: H. Bermühler Verlag, 1906.van Dülmen, Richard. ''Der Geheimbund der Ill ...

while a student in Ingolstadt, and the ideals of the French Enlightenment were a strong influence on his philosophy as a musician as corroborated by his famed ''Zibaldone'' or "Notebooks" compiled toward the end of his career. Shortly thereafter, he took music lessons with

Carlo Lenzi Carlo is a given name. It is an Italian form of Charles. It can refer to: *Carlo (name) *Monte Carlo *Carlingford, New South Wales, a suburb in north-west Sydney, New South Wales, Australia *A satirical song written by Dafydd Iwan about Prince Cha ...

, and later with Ferdinando Bertoni. He moved to

Bergamo Bergamo (; lmo, Bèrghem ; from the proto- Germanic elements *''berg +*heim'', the "mountain home") is a city in the alpine Lombardy region of northern Italy, approximately northeast of Milan, and about from Switzerland, the alpine lakes Com ...

in 1802 and was appointed '' maestro di cappella'' at the

Cathedral of Bergamo Bergamo Cathedral ( it, Duomo di Bergamo, ''Cattedrale di Sant'Alessandro'') is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Bergamo, Italy, dedicated to Saint Alexander of Bergamo, patron saint of the city. It is the seat of the Bishop of Bergamo. History Fr ...

, succeeding his old teacher Lenzi. He held the post until his death, and became a central figure in the city's musical life, organizing concerts and introducing

Ludwig van Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classic ...

's music there. He was music teacher to Gaetano Donizetti. By the end of his life, he was blind. He died in

and is buried in the

Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore The Basilica of Saint Mary Major ( it, Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, ; la, Basilica Sanctae Mariae Maioris), or church of Santa Maria Maggiore, is a Major papal basilica as well as one of the Seven Pilgrim Churches of Rome and the large ...

there, just in front of the tomb of his famous pupil. Mayr's works, among which there are almost seventy

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libr ...

s, are rarely performed today.

Works

See List of compositions by Simon Mayr and List of operas by Simon Mayr

Recordings

*'' Ginevra di Scozia'' - Elizabeth Vidal (soprano); Daniela Barcellona (mezzo-soprano); Antonino Siragusa (tenor); Luca Grassi (baritone); Giuseppina Piunti (soprano); Marco Lazzara (countertenor); Orchestra del Teatro Verdi di Trieste; Tiziano Severini (conductor). Label:

Opera Rara Opera Rara is a London-based opera company and recording label which specialises in recording and performing forgotten operatic repertoire from the 19th and early 20th centuries. Founded in 1970 by bel canto enthusiasts Patric Schmid and Don Whit ...

ORC23 *'' Fedra'' (Chiaudani, Nelsen, Zagorski, Lee; Schaller) OEHMS Classics 920 *''Verter'' (Herrmann, Gemmabella, Cicchetti, Salsi, Zarelli; Terracini). Bongiovanni GB 2343–4. *'' Medea in Corinto'' ( Eaglen, Kenny, Ford, Miles; Parry), Opera Rara ORC11 993* ''Konzert mit Schnitte von Werken von Johann Simon Mayr.'' Wilhelm Schmailzl, Karlskron

996 Year 996 ( CMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Japan * February - Chotoku Incident: Fujiwara no Korechika and Takaie shoot an arrow at Retired Emp ...

* ''Samuele'' Fono-Schallplattengesellschaft, Laer

997 Year 997 ( CMXCVII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Japan * 1 February: Empress Teishi gives birth to Princess Shushi - she is the first child of the ...

* ''Grande messa da requiem'' Orchestra Stabile di Bergamo, Agora

* ''Stabat Mater No.3 in C-minor'' Incontri Europei con la Musica, Bongiovanni 999* ''Che Originali! ossia La Musicomania'' Georgisches Kammerorchester, Guild 999* ''Mass in C-minor'' Guild 001* ''La Passione'' Kammerorchester Ingolstadt, Guild 002* ''Atalia'' Neue Düsseldorfer Hofmusik Guild 003* ''Vespri per il Corpus Domini 1802'' Orchestra da Camera Milano Classica, Bongiovanni 004* ''Sisara'' Accademia I Filarmonici di Verona, Simon Mayr Chor conducted by Franz Hauk Guild GmbH 2004 * ''L'Armonia'' and ''Cantata for the Death of Beethoven''. Ingolstadt Georgian Chamber Orchestra and Simon Mayr Choir, Naxos 006*''

La Rosa Bianca e la Rosa Rossa ' (The White Rose and the Red Rose) is an opera in two acts composed by Simon Mayr to an Italian libretto by Felice Romani. It premiered at the Teatro Sant'Agostino, Genoa, on 21 February 1813. Set in England against the backdrop of the Wars of ...

'' ( Antonacci, Anselmi, Serraicocca, Canonici, Facini; Briccetti) Fonit Cetra RFCD 2007 * ''David in Spelunca Engaddi'', Naxos 008* ''

L'amor coniugale ''L'amor coniugale'' (Conjugal Love) is an opera in one act by Simon Mayr set to an Italian libretto by Gaetano Rossi. It premiered at Padua's Teatro Nuovo on 26 July 1805. Background and performance history Like Beethoven's '' Fidelio'', t ...

'', Naxos, 008* '' Tobiae matrimonium'' Simon Mayr Chor + Ensemble, Naxos 009* '' Medea in Corinto''

Theater St. Gallen The Theater St. Gallen is a performing arts center for opera, musical, ballet, and theatre in St. Gallen, Switzerland, and considered to be the oldest professional theatre in Switzerland. It is a Swiss heritage site of national significance. Al ...

, Oehmsclassic 010* '' La Lodoiska'' Münchner Rundfunkorchester, Oehmsclassic 011* ''Amor ingegnoso'', Bongiovanni GB 2456-2

012 012 may refer to: * Tyrrell 012, a Formula One racing car * The dialing code for Pretoria, South Africa See also * 12 (disambiguation) Twelve or 12 may refer to: * 12 (number) * December, the twelfth and final month of the year Years * 12 BC ...

* ''Samuele'', Naxos

* ''Demetrio, Re di Siria'', Oehmsclassic

* ''Innalzamento al trono del giovane re Gioas''. Cantata, Naxos

* ''Il sagrifizio di Jefte'', Oratorio, Naxos 013* ''Piano Concerto in C-major'' * ''Ginevra di Scozia'', Oehmsclassic 014* ''Gran messa di requiem in G-minor'', Naxos

015 Fifteen or 15 may refer to: *15 (number), the natural number following 14 and preceding 16 *one of the years 15 BC, AD 15, 1915, 2015 Music *Fifteen (band), a punk rock band Albums * ''15'' (Buckcherry album), 2005 * ''15'' (Ani Lorak albu ...

* ''Messa di Gloria in E-minor'', Naxos 021* ''Messa di Gloria in F-minor'', Naxos 021* ''L'accademia di musica'', Naxos 022

References

;Sources * Heinrich Bauer: ''Simon Mayr'' 1763–1845, Meister der italienischen Oper aus der bayerischen Oberpfalz''. (Munich : Bayer. Vereinsbank), 1983 * Franz Hauk: ''Johann Simon Mayr und Venedig''. (Munich : Katzbichler), 1999. - * John Stewart Allitt: ''Giovanni Simone Mayr - Vita, musica, pensiero''. (Villa di Serio (BG), Edizioni Villadiseriane), 1995 * Mahan Esfahani, ''Giovanni Simone Mayr's 'Ginevra di Scozia' and the Classical Aesthetic in Early Nineteenth-Century Italian Opera Seria''. (BA thesis, Stanford University), 2005

Film

* Martin Pfeil: ''Der vergessene Musiker: Johann Simon Mayer (1763-1845)''. INTV Media Ingolstadt, 1995 (VHS, 30 Min.)

External links

Simon-Mayr-Gesellschaft
* *
Simon Mayr Chor
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mayr, Johann Simon 1763 births 1845 deaths German Classical-period composers Italian people of German descent German opera composers Male opera composers People from Eichstätt (district) German Romantic composers 19th-century classical composers German male classical composers 19th-century German composers 19th-century German male musicians