Giuseppe Francesco Bianchi (1752 – 27 November 1810) was an Italian

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 ...

composer. Born in Cremona, Lombardy, he studied with Pasquale Cafaro and Niccolò Jommelli, and worked mainly in London, Paris and in all the major Italian operatic centers of Venice, Naples, Rome, Milan, Turin, Florence. He wrote at least 78 operas of all genres, mainly in the field of the

Italian opera Italian opera is both the art of opera in Italy and opera in the Italian language. Opera was born in Italy around the year 1600 and Italian opera has continued to play a dominant role in the history of the form until the present day. Many fam ...

, but in the French opera too. These included the drammi per musica ( opera seria) ''

Castore e Polluce ''Castore e Polluce'' (''Castor and Pollux'') is an ''opera seria'' by Francesco Bianchi. The libretto was one translated by Carlo Innocenzo Frugoni, from Pierre-Joseph Bernard's French text for Rameau's ''Castor et Pollux''. The opera was extra ...

'' (Florence 1779), '' Arbace'' and ''

Zemira ''Zemira'' is an ''opera seria'' in three acts by Francesco Bianchi. The libretto was by Gaetano Sertor. ''Zemira'' like other works by Bianchi, was innovative. As Marita P. McClymonds explains, "Unusual components in this work are the opening t ...

'' (both Naples, 1781), '' Alonso e Cora'' (

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges. The isla ...

, 1786), '' Calto'' and '' La morte di Cesare'' (both Venice, 1788), and '' Seleuco, re di Siria'' (Venice, 1791), and the opera giocosa ''

La villanella rapita ''La villanella rapita'' (''The Abducted Country Girl'') is an ''opera giocosa'' in two acts by Francesco Bianchi. The libretto was by Giovanni Bertati. Performance history The opera was first performed at the Teatro San Moisè in Venice in the ...

'' ( Süttör, 1784). Bianchi committed suicide in

Hammersmith Hammersmith is a district of West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, and identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. ...

, London, in 1810, probably out of family troubles. He was buried alongside his daughter in the churchyard of the old Kensington Church, now St Mary Abbots, Kensington. His widow published parts of his "theoretical work" in the Quarterly Music Review for 1820/1821.

Private life

Bianchi married Jane Jackson who was a well known singer. She had a continuing career after Bianchi's death, married William Lacy and they performed for seven years at the court of Oudh.

Works

Operas

*See: List of operas by Francesco Bianchi

Religious compositions

* ''Domine ad adiuvandum'', 2 August 1773, Cremona * ''Converte Domine'', 10 May 1779, Milan, Metropolitan Cathedral * ''Exalta Domine'', 10 May 1779, Milan, Metropolitan Cathedral * ''Deus noster refugium con Gloria patri'', 10 May 1779, Milan, Metropolitan Cathedral * ''Abraham et Isaac''; ''Tres pueri hebrai''; others

References

;Notes ;Sources
"Bianchi, Francesco"
by Marita P. McClymonds and Sven Hansell in '' Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online'', accessed 5 January 2010 * Caruselli, Salvatore (ed.), ''Grande enciclopedia della musica lirica'', Longanesi &C. Periodici S.p.A., Roma, vol. 4 * Highfill, Jr., Philip H., Burnim, Kalman A., and Langhans, Edward A., ''A Biographical Dictionary of Actors, Actresses, Musicians, Dancers, Managers and Other Stage Personnel in London, 1660–1800: v. 2'', Southern Illinois University Press, Carbondale, 1973, * Sadie, Stanley (ed), '' New Grove Dictionary of Opera'',

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print book ...

, 1992, vol. 4

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bianchi, Francesco 1752 births 1810 deaths Suicides in Hammersmith Musicians from Cremona Italian Classical-period composers Italian opera composers Male opera composers Italian male classical composers 19th-century Italian male musicians 1810s suicides