Florian Leopold Gassmann (3 May 1729 – 21 January 1774) was a German-speaking

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; ; ) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. In a narrow, geographic sense, it roughly encompasses the territories of present-day Czechia that fall within the Elbe River's drainage basin, but historic ...

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

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 ...

of the transitional period between the

baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

and classical eras. He was one of the principal composers of ''

dramma giocoso ''Dramma giocoso'' (Italian, literally: drama with jokes; plural: ''drammi giocosi'') is a genre of opera common in the mid-18th century. The term is a contraction of ''dramma giocoso per musica'' and describes the opera's libretto (text). The g ...

'' immediately before

Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition and proficiency from an early age ...

. He was one of

Antonio Salieri Antonio Salieri (18 August 17507 May 1825) was an Italian composer and teacher of the classical period (music), classical period. He was born in Legnago, south of Verona, in the Republic of Venice, and spent his adult life and career as a subje ...

's teachers.

Life and career

Gassmann was born in Brüx,

, and was most likely trained by Johann Woborschil, the local chorus master. His father was a goldsmith who may well have opposed his son's choice of a musical career. From 1757 until 1762, he wrote an opera every year for the

carnival Carnival (known as Shrovetide in certain localities) is a festive season that occurs at the close of the Christian pre-Lenten period, consisting of Quinquagesima or Shrove Sunday, Shrove Monday, and Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras. Carnival typi ...

season in

Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...

, and was also appointed choirmaster in the girls' conservatory in Venice in 1757. Many of the librettos he set were by the renowned Venetian playwright

Carlo Goldoni Carlo Osvaldo Goldoni (, also , ; 25 February 1707 – 6 February 1793) was an Italian playwright and librettist from the Republic of Venice. His works include some of Italy's most famous and best-loved plays. Audiences have admired the plays ...

. In 1763 he was called to

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

as court

ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...

composer, and was held in great affection by

Emperor Joseph II Joseph II (13 March 1741 – 20 February 1790) was Holy Roman Emperor from 18 August 1765 and sole ruler of the Habsburg monarchy from 29 November 1780 until his death. He was the eldest son of Empress Maria Theresa and her husband, Emperor F ...

. In 1764 he was appointed chamber composer to the Emperor, and in 1772 court conductor. In 1766 Gassmann met up-and-coming young

in Venice, invited him to return with him to Vienna and taught him composition using

Johann Joseph Fux Johann Joseph Fux (; – 13 February 1741) was an Austrian composer, music theorist and pedagogue of the late Baroque era. His most enduring work is not a musical composition but his treatise on counterpoint, '' Gradus ad Parnassum'', which ha ...

's textbook ''Gradus ad Parnassum''. Salieri remained in Vienna, and succeeded Gassmann as chamber composer to the Emperor on the latter's death in 1774. Another

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

composer,

Giuseppe Bonno Giuseppe Bonno (29 January 1711 – 15 April 1788) Michael Lorenz gives his first name as "Joseph" because Emperor Joseph I was his godfather; Lorenz also asserts that Bonno was born on 30 JanuaryHaydn Singing at Vivaldi's Exequies: An Ineradic ...

, succeeded Gassmann as court conductor. In 1771, Gassmann founded the '' Tonkünstler-Societät'' (Society of Musical Artists), which was the first group in Vienna to give concerts for the general public, and for the benefit of its members' widows and orphans. He wrote his

oratorio An oratorio () is a musical composition with dramatic or narrative text for choir, soloists and orchestra or other ensemble. Similar to opera, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an instrumental ensemble, various distinguisha ...

''La Betulia liberata'' for that purpose. In 1774, he died in

from long-term consequences of a carriage accident sustained on his final visit to Italy. Gassmann's two daughters, Anna Fuchs and Therese Rosenbaum, were both famous singers trained by Salieri; the younger, Therese, made a particular name for herself as a

interpreter.

Charles Burney Charles Burney (7 April 1726 – 12 April 1814) was an English music historian, composer and musician. He was the father of the writers Frances Burney and Sarah Burney, of the explorer James Burney, and of Charles Burney, a classicis ...

, in one of his published accounts of his many European tours surveying the musical scene, recalls, on a visit to Joseph II and his court, meeting Gassmann and finding him very forthcoming. Among the manuscripts Gassmann showed him, he reserved most of his praise for his chamber works. Burney was either not exposed to, or said nothing about, Gassmann's orchestral music.Heartz, Daniel (1995). (Norton, 411-2). .

Johann Baptist Wanhal Johann Baptist Wanhal (12 May 1739 – 20 August 1813) was a Czech composer of the Classical period. He was born in Nechanice, Bohemia, and died in Vienna. His music was well respected by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Joseph Haydn, Ludwig van Beetho ...

is described by author Daniel Heartz as Gassmann's "

protégé Mentorship is the patronage, influence, guidance, or direction given by a mentor. A mentor is someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person. In an organizational setting, a mentor influences the perso ...

Major works

Operas

See List of operas by Florian Leopold Gassmann.

Cantatas

*''Amore, e venere'' (1768) *''L’amor timido''

Oratorios

*''La Betulia Liberata'' (1772)

Sacred music

*Five masses

Instrumental music

Includes: * 32 symphonies * 26 overtures * 37 string quartets include: Op. 1 six ''quartetti'' (H 431–6); Op. 2 (H 441–2, 435, 444–6); six published posthumously, 1804 (H 451–6)H numbers are those from Hill (1976), ''Thematic Catalog''. * 8 string quintets, 6 of which were published as Op. 2 in 1772 (H 501–506) * string trios * 6 trios for flute, violin and viola * 10 wind quintets

References

;Notes ;Cited sources *Hill, George R.: "Thematic Index" in ''The Symphony 1720 - 1840 Series B - Volume X'', ed. Barry S. Brooks (New York & London, 1981) ISBN ?-???-?????-? *Kosman, Joshua: ''Gassmann, Florian Leopold'' in 'The

New Grove Dictionary of Opera ''The New Grove Dictionary of Opera'' is an encyclopedia of opera. It is the largest work on opera in English, and in its printed form, amounts to 5,448 pages in four volumes. The dictionary was first published in 1992 by Macmillan Reference, L ...

', ed. Stanley Sadie (London, 1992) ;Other sources *

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gassmann, Florian Leopold 1729 births 1774 deaths Musicians from Most (city) German Bohemian people Austrian male classical composers Austrian opera composers Male opera composers Austrian Baroque composers Austrian Classical-period composers 18th-century German musicians 18th-century Austrian musicians 18th-century Austrian male musicians Road incident deaths in Austria 18th-century classical composers from Bohemia String quartet composers 18th-century composers from the Holy Roman Empire