Coat of Arms of Cardinal Benedetto Pamphili

Benedetto Pamphili (often with the final ''long i'' orthography, Pamphilj) (25 April 1653 – 22 March 1730) was an Italian

cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to: Animals * Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **'' Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae **'' Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, ...

, patron of the arts and

librettist A libretto (Italian for "booklet") is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major ...

for many composers.

Life

Pamphili was born in Rome on 25 April 1653 into the powerful

Pamphili The House of Pamphili (often with the final ''long i'' orthography, Pamphilj) was one of the papal families deeply entrenched in Catholic Church, Roman and Italian politics of the 16th and 17th centuries. Later, the Pamphili family line merged ...

family. His father was Camillo Pamphili who had also been a cardinal but renounced his post to marry

Olimpia Aldobrandini Olimpia Aldobrandini (20 April 1623 – 18 December 1681) was a member of the Aldobrandini family of Rome, and the sole heiress to the family fortune. Biography Donna Olimpia Aldobrandini was born 20 April 1623, the daughter of Giorgio Aldo ...

. Pamphili was Grand Prior of the

Order of St John of Jerusalem The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem ( la, Ordo Fratrum Hospitalis Sancti Ioannis Hierosolymitani), commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), was a medieval and early modern Catholic military order. It was headq ...

in Rome from 1678 until

Pope Innocent XI Pope Innocent XI ( la, Innocentius XI; it, Innocenzo XI; 16 May 1611 – 12 August 1689), born Benedetto Odescalchi, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 21 September 1676 to his death on August 12, 1689. Poli ...

made him cardinal-deacon of Santa Maria in Portico in the

consistory Consistory is the anglicized form of the consistorium, a council of the closest advisors of the Roman emperors. It can also refer to: *A papal consistory, a formal meeting of the Sacred College of Cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church *Consistory ...

of 1 September 1681. He later opted for the tituli of Sant'Agata in Suburra,

San Cesareo in Palatio San Cesareo in Palatio or San Caesareo de Appia is a titular church in Rome, near the beginning of the Appian Way. It is dedicated to Saint Caesarius of Terracina, a 2nd-century deacon and martyr. History Origins In the 4th century, Emperor Va ...

Santa Maria in Cosmedin The Basilica of Saint Mary in Cosmedin ( it, Basilica di Santa Maria in Cosmedin or ''de Schola Graeca'') is a minor basilica church in Rome, Italy. It is located in the rione of Ripa. History According to Byzantine historian Andrew Ekonomo ...

and

Santa Maria in Via Lata Santa Maria in Via Lata is a church on the Via del Corso (the ancient Via Lata), in Rome, Italy. It stands diagonal from the church of San Marcello al Corso. It is the Station days for Tuesday, the fifth week of lent. History The first Christi ...

Innocent X Pope Innocent X ( la, Innocentius X; it, Innocenzo X; 6 May 1574 – 7 January 1655), born Giovanni Battista Pamphilj (or Pamphili), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 15 September 1644 to his death in Januar ...

made him Prefect of the

Apostolic Signatura The Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura () is the highest judicial authority in the Catholic Church (apart from the pope himself, who as supreme ecclesiastical judge is the final point of appeal for any ecclesiastical judgment). In additio ...

on 23 March 1685. He became

Cardinal Legate 300px, A woodcut showing Henry II of England greeting the pope's legate. A papal legate or apostolic legate (from the ancient Roman title ''legatus'') is a personal representative of the pope to foreign nations, or to some part of the Catholic ...

Bologna Bologna (, , ; egl, label=Emilian language, Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 1 ...

in 1690, cardinal protodeacon in 1693, as well as archpriest of the

basilica In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica is a large public building with multiple functions, typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek East. The building gave its name ...

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 larges ...

and of

San Giovanni in Laterano The Archbasilica Cathedral of the Most Holy Savior and of Saints John the Baptist and John the Evangelist in the Lateran ( it, Arcibasilica del Santissimo Salvatore e dei Santi Giovanni Battista ed Evangelista in Laterano), also known as the Papa ...

. In 1704 he was made librarian of the

Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana The Vatican Apostolic Library ( la, Bibliotheca Apostolica Vaticana, it, Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana), more commonly known as the Vatican Library or informally as the Vat, is the library of the Holy See, located in Vatican City. Formally es ...

and archivist of the Archivio Segreto Vaticano. He died in 1730 and is buried at

Sant'Agnese in Agone Sant'Agnese in Agone (also called Sant'Agnese in Piazza Navona) is a 17th-century Baroque church in Rome, Italy. It faces onto the Piazza Navona, one of the main urban spaces in the historic centre of the city and the site where the Early Christi ...

Patronage

He was in the first rank of Rome's cultural and artistic life in the 17th and 18th centuries, as demonstrated by his belonging to the prestigious accademia dell'Arcadia, under the pseudonym ''Fenicio Larisseo''. He formed the major collection of Flemish paintings in the Galleria Doria Pamphilj, whose interior (by

Carlo Fontana Carlo Fontana (1634 or 1638–1714) was an Italian architect originating from today's Canton Ticino, who was in part responsible for the classicizing direction taken by Late Baroque Roman architecture. Biography There seems to be no proof th ...

) and chapel he had built. He was particularly interested and skilled in music, not only writing several

libretti A libretto (Italian for "booklet") is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the t ...

himself for operas with music by (among others) Alessandro Scarlatti, but also gave hospitality and opportunity to several composers (such as

Arcangelo Corelli Arcangelo Corelli (, also , , ; 17 February 1653 – 8 January 1713) was an Italian composer and violinist of the Baroque era. His music was key in the development of the modern genres of sonata and concerto, in establishing the preeminence o ...

, Giovanni Lorenzo Lulier,

Alessandro Melani Alessandro Melani (4 February 1639 – 3 October 1703) was an Italian composer and the brother of composer Jacopo Melani, and castrato singer Atto Melani. Along with Bernardo Pasquini and Alessandro Scarlatti, he was one of the leading compose ...

Antonio Maria Bononcini Antonio Maria Bononcini (18 June 1677 – 8 July 1726) was an Italian cellist and composer, the younger brother of the better-known Giovanni Bononcini. Bononcini was born and died at Modena in Italy. Like his brother, he studied with Giovanni ...

and Carlo Francesco Cesarini, who all began their musical careers under his protection), funding publication and performances of their works. His patronage was also expressed during George Frideric Handel's stay in Rome, when he struck up a lasting friendship with the composer and began an interesting correspondence with him. Handel dedicated a series of

cantatas A cantata (; ; literally "sung", past participle feminine singular of the Italian verb ''cantare'', "to sing") is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment, typically in several movements, often involving a choir. The meaning of ...

to the cardinal, as well as the famous 1707 oratorio '' Il trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno'', with a libretto by the cardinal.''Trionfo del tempo e del disinganno. Oratorio in due parti, libretto di Benedetto Pamphilij, musica di Georg Friedrich Handel'', Ed. Teatro Regio, Torino 1998.

Works: libretti and scores

*''S. Maria Maddalena de' Pazzi. Oratorio da cantarsi nel giorno della sua festa alla presenza dell'eminentiss. sig. card.le de' Medici''. Tinassi, Rome, 1687. *''Conversione di S. M. Maddalena. Oratorio a tre voci da cantarsi nella chiesa de' padri della congregazione dell' oratorio di S. Filippo Neri di Firenze'', music by Alessandro Scarlatti. Vangelisti, Florence, 1693. *''S. Francesca Romana. Oratorio a cinque voci da cantarsi nella chiesa de' padri della congregazione dell'oratorio di S. Filippo Neri di Firenze'', music by

. Vangelisti, Florence, 1693. * ''Il sagrifizio di Abel. Oratorio a quattro voci da cantarsi nella chiesa de' padri della Congregazione dell'Oratorio di S. Filippo Neri di Firenze'', music by Alessandro Melani. Vangelisti, Florence, 1693. *''S. Rosa di Viterbo del sacro ordine di S. Francesco. Oratorio a cinque voci da cantarsi nella chiesa de' padri della congregazione dell' oratorio di san Filippo Neri di Firenze'', music by Alessandro Melani. Vangelisti, Florence, 1693. *''Il martirio di S. Vittoria. Oratorio a quattro voci da cantarsi nella chiesa de' padri della congregazione dell' oratorio di S. Filippo Neri di Firenze'', music by Giovanni del Violone. Vangelisti, Florence, 1693. *''L' Ismaele soccorso dall' angelo. Oratorio a cinque voci da cantarsi nella venerabible compagnia dell' angiolo Raffaello detta la scala'', music by Alessandro Scarlatti. Vangelisti, Florence, 1695. *''Il trionfo della grazia o vero La conversione di S.M. Maddalena oratorio a tre voci da cantarsi nel nobil collegio Tolomei di Siena'', music by Alessandro Scarlatti. Miccioni, Florence, 1699. * ''Santa Maria Maddalena de' Pazzi. Oratorio dedicato da' convittori del collegio Clementino alla madre suor Maria Grazia di S. Clemente carmelitana''. Bernabo, Rome, 1705. * ''Il trionfo della Vergine assunta in cielo. Oratorio a quattro voci da cantarsi nella venerabil compagnia della Purificazione di Maria Vergine e S. Zanobi detta di S. Marco'', music by Alessandro Scarlatti. Vangelisti, Florence, 1706. *'' Il trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno'', music by George Frideric Handel, Rome, summer 1707. *''Il trionfo della Grazia. Oratorio'', music by

. eredi Cosmeroviani, Vienna, 1707. * ''Sedecia re di Gerusalemme. Oratorio per musica da cantarsi nelle stanze de' paggi d'onore di sua altezza reale dedicato da' medesimi al serenissimo gran duca''. Borghigiani, Florence, 1707. *''Il figliol prodigo. Oratorio'', music by Carlo Francesco Cesarini. Bernabo, Rome, 1708. *''Maria Maddalena de' pazzi. Oratorio a quattro voci fatta cantare da monsignor Sebastiano Pompilio Bonaventura vescovo di Montefiascone, e Corneto alla presenza delle reali maestà di Giacomo Terzo re della Gran Bretagna, e Maria Clementina Sobieschi di lui regia consorte'', music by Alessandro Scarlatti. Seminario, Montefiascone, 1719.

References

External links

''Le Cantate per il cardinale Pamphili (1706–1707)'' by Handel

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pamphili 1653 births 1730 deaths 18th-century Italian cardinals Benedetto Italian librettists Italian philanthropists Italian patrons of music Italian art collectors Writers from Rome Italian art patrons