Felice Alessandri (24 November 1747 – 15 August 1798) was an Italian keyboardist and composer who was internationally active; working in

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London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

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, St. Petersburg, and

Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. Th ...

.Pratt, Waldo Selden. ''The History of Music''. New York: G. Schirmer, Inc., 1907. 359. He is best known for his stage works, and he produced a total of 32

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 libre ...

s between 1764 and 1794. His other compositions include 6 symphonies, 6

trio sonata The trio sonata is a genre, typically consisting of several movements, with two melody instruments and basso continuo. Originating in the early 17th century, the trio sonata was a favorite chamber ensemble combination in the Baroque era. Basic s ...

s for 2 violins with basso continuo, a

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, and an

oratorio An oratorio () is a large musical composition for orchestra, choir, and soloists. Like most operas, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an instrumental ensemble, various distinguishable characters, and arias. However, opera is mus ...

Life and career

Born in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, Alessandri was trained at the Naples Conservatory. After completing his studies he became maestro di cappella at the Turin Cathedral. He then moved to Paris, France where he lived for 4 years. After a brief return to Italy, he came to London in 1768 where he was active as a concert pianist and two of his comic operas were staged: ''La moglie fedete'' and ''Re alia caccia''. He then spent time in various cities in Italy and in St. Petersburg, Russia. He came to Berlin in 1789 where he served as choir master of the Berlin Hofoper from 1790-1792. Two of his operas were premiered in Berlin: ''Il Ritorno a Ulysse'' (1790) and ''Dario'' (1791). In 1792 his comic opera ''L'Ouverture du grand opera italien a Nankin'' was mounted in

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. Not much is known about his activities over the next six years. He died in 1798 in Casalino at the age of 50.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alessandri, Felice 1747 births 1798 deaths Italian male classical composers Italian opera composers Male opera composers Musicians from Rome 18th-century Italian composers 18th-century Italian male musicians