Feliciano Strepponi
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Feliciano Cristoforo Bartolomeo Strepponi (26 October 1793 – 13 January 1832) was an Italian composer and conductor. He was born in Lodi and died in
Trieste Trieste ( , ; ) is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is the capital and largest city of the Regions of Italy#Autonomous regions with special statute, autonomous region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, as well as of the Province of Trieste, ...
at the age of 38. Amongst his compositions were seven operas which had a modest success in their day. The last one, ''L'Ullà di Bassora'', premiered at
La Scala La Scala (, , ; officially , ) is a historic opera house in Milan, Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as (, which previously was Santa Maria della Scala, Milan, a church). The premiere performa ...
in 1831. He was the father and first teacher of the opera singer
Giuseppina Strepponi Clelia Maria Giuseppa (Giuseppina) Strepponi (Lodi, Lombardy, Lodi, 8 September 1815 – Villanova sull'Arda, 14 November 1897) was a nineteenth-century Italian operatic soprano of great renown and the second wife of composer Giuseppe Verdi ...
who later became the second wife of
Giuseppe Verdi Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi ( ; ; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for List of compositions by Giuseppe Verdi, his operas. He was born near Busseto, a small town in the province of Parma ...
.


Life

Strepponi was born in the northern Italian city of Lodi to Maria (''née'' Destefani) and Giuseppe Strepponi. Although some older sources give his birth year as 1797,
Phillips-Matz, Mary Jane Mary Jane Phillips-Matz (January 30, 1926 – January 19, 2013) was an American biographer and writer on opera. She is mainly known for her biography of Giuseppe Verdi, a result of 30 years' research and published in 1992 by Oxford University Press ...
(1992). ''Verdi: A Biography'', pp. 118–119; 742. Oxford University Press
Servadio, Gaia (1995). ''The Real Traviata: The Biography of Giuseppina Strepponi, Wife of Giuseppe Verdi'', pp. 21–31. Sceptre. research published in 2006 by Lodi historian Maria Moretti gives his birth date as 26 October 1793. He was baptised the following day with the name Feliciano Cristoforo Bartolomeo. The Strepponi family were intellectuals and liberal-minded supporters of
Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...
. They also had a strong interest in music with several members of the family having attended the
Milan Conservatory The Milan Conservatory, also known as the Conservatorio di Milano and the Conservatorio Giuseppe Verdi, is a Music school, college of music in Milan, Italy. History The conservatory was established by a royal decree of 1807 in Milan, capital ...
. Strepponi's older brother Francesco became the ''
maestro di cappella ( , , ), from German (chapel) and (master), literally "master of the chapel choir", designates the leader of an ensemble of musicians. Originally used to refer to somebody in charge of music in a chapel, the term has evolved considerably in i ...
'' at the Church of the Beata Vergine Incoronata in Lodi. His sister Giovanna was a schoolmistress in the city. Strepponi showed a precocious talent for music. In 1812 (aged 19), he conducted the ''
Te Deum The ( or , ; from its incipit, ) is a Latin Christian hymn traditionally ascribed to a date before AD 500, but perhaps with antecedents that place it much earlier. It is central to the Ambrosian hymnal, which spread throughout the Latin ...
'' at the
Lodi Cathedral Lodi Cathedral (, ''Basilica Cattedrale della Vergine Assunta'') is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Lodi, Lombardy, Lodi, Lombardy, Italy. It is also a basilica minor. Dedicated to the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, it is the seat of th ...
celebrating the return of Napoleon Bonaparte. That year he met Rosa Cornalba (1793–1870), a native of Lodi who came from a family of modest shopkeepers and artisans distantly related to the noble
Barberini family The House of Barberini is a family of the Italian nobility that rose to prominence in the 17th century Rome. Their influence peaked with the election of Cardinal Maffeo Barberini to the papal throne in 1623, as Pope Urban VIII. Their urban pa ...
. They married on 3 November 1814 to an organ accompaniment composed by Strepponi's brother Francesco.
Giuseppina ''Giuseppina'' is a 1960 short British documentary film produced by James Hill. It was filmed in 1959, in Mandriole, Emilia-Romagna, near Ravenna in the north east of Italy. It won the Academy Award for Best Documentary (Short Subject). Produc ...
, the first of their six children (four of whom survived to adulthood), was born on 9 September 1815. In 1820 Strepponi received his diploma from the Milan Conservatory winning a special prize in composition. His first opera, ''Amore e fedeltà alla prova'' premiered at the theatre in Lodi that same year.Biblioteca Braidense
MUS0319985: ''Amore e fedeltà alla prova''
Retrieved 8 September 2014 .
Upon completion of his music studies in Milan, Strepponi was appointed ''maestro di cappella'' at Monza Cathedral on the recommendation of his former teacher
Vincenzo Federici Vincenzo is an Italian male given name, derived from the Latin name Vincentius (the verb ''vincere'' means to win or to conquer). Notable people with the name include: Art *Vincenzo Amato (born 1966), Italian actor and sculptor * Vincenzo Bell ...
. For the next few years he travelled between Lodi, Monza, Milan, and Turin, while his wife and children remained in Lodi. Three more of his operas were produced, two of which had librettos by
Felice Romani Giuseppe Felice Romani (31 January 178828 January 1865) was an Italian poet and scholar of literature and mythology who wrote many librettos for the opera composers Donizetti and Bellini. Romani was considered the finest Italian librettist betw ...
with whom he would form a close friendship. Both were members of the
Carbonari The Carbonari () was an informal network of Secret society, secret revolutionary societies active in Italy from about 1800 to 1831. The Carbonari may have further influenced other revolutionary groups in France, Portugal, Spain, Brazil, Urugua ...
, a secret revolutionary society founded in the early 19th-century which played an active role in opposing Austrian rule of northern Italy. In 1828, he was dismissed from his post at Monza Catherdral, partly because of his frequent absences and partly because of his suspected revolutionary tendencies. However, he had an offer from the
Teatro Grande The Teatro Grande is the main performance venue for the city of Brescia, Italy. The venue hosts performances of operas, musicals, plays, concerts, ballet, modern dance Modern dance is a broad genre of western concert dance, concert or theat ...
in
Trieste Trieste ( , ; ) is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is the capital and largest city of the Regions of Italy#Autonomous regions with special statute, autonomous region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, as well as of the Province of Trieste, ...
to serve as the assistant conductor to
Giuseppe Farinelli Giuseppe Farinelli (7 May 1769 – 12 December 1836) was an Italian composer active at the end of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th century who excelled in writing opera buffas. Considered the successor and most successful imitator o ...
and to compose two new operas. With his new appointment, the entire Strepponi family moved to Trieste where they had an apartment facing the Piazza Piccola. Considered an excellent opera conductor, Strepponi soon attracted prominent singers to the Teatro Grande, including
Giuditta Grisi Giuditta Grisi (28 July 1805 – 1 May 1840) was an Italian operatic mezzo-soprano, sister of soprano Giulia Grisi and cousin of ballerina Carlotta Grisi. She was born and studied in Milan, and made her debut in Vienna, as Faliero in ''Bianca e ...
and Caroline Ungher. The premiere of his opera ''Gli Illinesi'' there in 1829 was a breakthrough for him as a composer and would ultimately lead to a commission from La Scala. In the meantime, his fifteen-year-old daughter Giuseppina whom he trained in both piano and singing was showing considerable promise as a musician. In November 1830, he brought her to the Milan Conservatory where she was accepted as a pupil despite being slightly over the age limit for entry. His opera ''L' Ullà di Bassora'' premiered at La Scala in September of the following year to some success and had a further fifteen performances there. However, with a family to support and Giuseppina's fees at the conservatory to be paid, Strepponi had embarked on a brief but frenetic career as an impresario, leaving his post in Trieste, where his wife and three other children remained while he travelled throughout Italy. The final year of Strepponi's life was marked by increasing ill-health and the loss of all his money through disastrous investments. After days in a delirium, he died of
encephalitis Encephalitis is inflammation of the Human brain, brain. The severity can be variable with symptoms including reduction or alteration in consciousness, aphasia, headache, fever, confusion, a stiff neck, and vomiting. Complications may include se ...
in Trieste on 13 January 1832 at the age of 38. His body was taken to Lodi where his funeral took place at the Chiesa di Santa Maria Maddalena. His brother Francesco conducted the
Requiem Mass A Requiem (Latin: ''rest'') or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead () or Mass of the dead (), is a Mass of the Catholic Church offered for the repose of the souls of the deceased, using a particular form of the Roman Missal. It is u ...
which Strepponi had composed during his time in Monza. Giuseppina's fees at the conservatory continued to be paid through a special grant, but the family was in dire straits after her father's death. Her mother was forced to sell many of their belongings, and her younger sister Maria had to be taken in by Lodi's orphanage. Giuseppina graduated from the Milan conservatory two years later, became an opera singer of considerable renown, and later married the composer
Giuseppe Verdi Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi ( ; ; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for List of compositions by Giuseppe Verdi, his operas. He was born near Busseto, a small town in the province of Parma ...
. On the table beside her deathbed in 1897 stood the gold
reliquary A reliquary (also referred to as a ''shrine'', ''Chasse (casket), chasse'', or ''phylactery'') is a container for relics. A portable reliquary, or the room in which one is stored, may also be called a ''feretory''. Relics may be the purported ...
which had been given to her father by the
Emperor of Austria The emperor of Austria (, ) was the ruler of the Austrian Empire and later the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The hereditary imperial title and office was proclaimed in 1804 by Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor, a member of the House of Habsburg-Lorr ...
.


Works

Strepponi composed numerous pieces of
sacred music Religious music (also sacred music) is a type of music that is performed or composed for religious use or through religious influence. It may overlap with ritual music, which is music, sacred or not, performed or composed for or as a ritual. Reli ...
during his time at Monza Cathedral as well as a secular
cantata A cantata (; ; literally "sung", past participle feminine singular of the Italian language, Italian verb ''cantare'', "to sing") is a vocal music, vocal Musical composition, composition with an musical instrument, instrumental accompaniment, ty ...
, ''Artemisia al mausoleo'' (published in Milan by Luigi Bertuzzi in 1823). However, he was best known for his operas. Arias from several of them were also published separately by
Casa Ricordi Casa Ricordi is a publisher of primarily European classical music, classical music and opera. Its classical repertoire represents one of the important sources in the world through its publishing of the work of the major 19th-century Italian com ...
and the Parisian music publisher Bernard Latte. Operas *''Amore e fedeltà alla prova'' (farsa giocosa in 1 act), libretto by
Giuseppe Foppa Giuseppe Maria Foppa (Venice, 12 July 1760 – Venice, 1 March 1845) was an Italian librettist. He wrote around 150 libretti, mainly for comic operas, as well as Latin oratorio texts and his memoirs.Richard Osborne ''Rossini'' 2007 0199724407 p ...
, Teatro Sociale, Lodi, Carnival season 1820 *''L'ammogliato nubile'' (dramma giocoso in 2 acts), libretto by Vittorio Pezzi, Teatro d'Angennes, Turin, Spring 1822 *''Chi fa così fa bene'' (melodramma giocoso in 2 acts), libretto by
Felice Romani Giuseppe Felice Romani (31 January 178828 January 1865) was an Italian poet and scholar of literature and mythology who wrote many librettos for the opera composers Donizetti and Bellini. Romani was considered the finest Italian librettist betw ...
, Teatro Re, Milan, 6 February 1823 *''Francesca da Rimini'' (dramma per musica in 3 acts), libretto by Felice Romani, Teatro Eretenio,
Vicenza Vicenza ( , ; or , archaically ) is a city in northeastern Italy. It is in the Veneto region, at the northern base of the Monte Berico, where it straddles the Bacchiglione, River Bacchiglione. Vicenza is approximately west of Venice and e ...
, 23 July 1823 *''Gli Illinesi'' (melodramma serio in 2 acts), libretto by Felice Romani,
Teatro Grande The Teatro Grande is the main performance venue for the city of Brescia, Italy. The venue hosts performances of operas, musicals, plays, concerts, ballet, modern dance Modern dance is a broad genre of western concert dance, concert or theat ...
,
Trieste Trieste ( , ; ) is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is the capital and largest city of the Regions of Italy#Autonomous regions with special statute, autonomous region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, as well as of the Province of Trieste, ...
, 20 November 1829 *''Amore e mistero'' (melodramma comico in 3 acts), libretto by
Gaetano Rossi Gaetano Rossi (; 18 May 1774 – 25 January 1855) was an Italian opera librettist for several of the well-known ''bel canto''-era composers including Gioachino Rossini, Gaetano Donizetti, and Saverio Mercadante in Italy and Giacomo Meyerbeer in on ...
,
Teatro Carignano The Teatro Carignano (Carignano Theatre) is a theatre in Turin and one of the oldest and most important theatres in Italy. Designed by Benedetto Alfieri, it is located opposite the Palazzo Carignano. Building commenced in 1752 and the theatre wa ...
, Turin, Autumn 1830Università di Bologna
CMBM21482: ''Amore e mistero''
. Retrieved 9 September 2014 .
*''L' Ullà di Bassora'' (melodramma comico in 2 acts), libretto by Felice Romani,
La Scala La Scala (, , ; officially , ) is a historic opera house in Milan, Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as (, which previously was Santa Maria della Scala, Milan, a church). The premiere performa ...
, Milan, 20 September 1831


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Strepponi, Feliciano 1793 births 1832 deaths Italian Romantic composers Italian opera composers Italian male opera composers People from Lodi, Lombardy 19th-century Italian musicians 19th-century Italian male musicians Milan Conservatory alumni Composers from the Austrian Empire