Grove's dictionary of music and musicians

SACCHINI SACCHINI 199
an intermezzo, in two parts, 'Fra Donato,'
very sucoessfaUy performed by the pupils of
the institution. For some years he supported
himself by teaching singing, and writing little
pieces for minor theatres, till, in 1762, he wrote
a serious opera, ' Semiramide,' for the Argentina
theatre at Rome. This was so well received
that he remained for seven years attached to
the theatre as composer, writing operas not
only for Rome but many other towns. Among
these, Alessandro '
nolle Indie,' played at Venice
in 1768, was especially successful, and obtained
for its composer, in 1769, the directorship of
the
'
Ospedaletto school of music there. He
'
seems to have held this office for little more
than a year, but during that time formed some
excellent pupils, among whom may be mentioned
Gabrieli, Canti, and Pasquali.
Before 1770 he left Venice, and proceeded by
way of Munich, Stuttgart, and other German
towns, to England, arriving in London in April
1772. [For Munich he wrote 'Scipione in
Cartagena' and 'L'Eroe cinese' in 1770, and
for Stuttgart ' CaUiroe.'] His continental fame
had preceded him to this country, and a beautiful
air of his, 'Care luci,' introduced by Guarducci
into the pasticcio of ' Tigrane ' as early as
1767, had, by its popularity, paved the way
for his music. True, a strong clique existed
against the new composer, but he soon got the
better of it.
In addition to the 'Cid' and 'Tamerlano,'
mentioned by Bumey, he produced here Lucio
'
Vero' and 'Nitetti e Perseo' (1773-74). His
perfect comprehension of the art of writing for
the voice, and the skill with which he adapted
his songs to their respective exponents, contributed
an important element to the success
of his music, even indifferent singers being made
to appear to advantage. His popularity, however,
was undermined, after a time, from a variety
of causes. Jealousy led to cabals against him.
He would probably have lived down calumny,
prompted by personal spite, but his idle and
dissolute habite estranged his friends, impaired
his health, and got him deeply into debt, the
consequence of which was that he left this
country and settled in Paris—Bumey says in
1784 ; F^tis in 1782. It seems probable that
this last date is correct, as several of his operas
were produced in the French capital during
1783-84. He had been there on a visit in
1781, when his ' Isola d' Amore,' translated by
Framery and adapted to the French stage, was
played there successfully, having been played
under the name of La Colonic ' ' in 1775. His
'Olimpiade' had been given in 1777. Burney
says that in Paris Sacchini was almost adored.
He started with an apparent advantage in the
patronage of Joseph II. of Austria, who was in
Paris at the time, and recommended the composer
to the protection of his sister, Marie
Antoinette. Thanks to this, he obtained a
hearing for his Rinaldo ' ' (rearranged and partly
rewritten for the French stage as Renaud ' '),
and for ' II gran Cid,' which, under the name
of 'Chimene,' was performed before the Court
at Fontainebleau. Both of these works contained
great beauties, but neither had more
than a limited success.
'
Dardanus, ' a French
opera, was not more fortunate in 1784.
'
(Edipe
i. Colone' was finished early in 1785, and performed
at Versailles, April 4, 1786. This, his
masterpiece, brought him his bitterest disappointment.
The Queen had promised that
'
OLdipe should be the ' first opera at the royal
theatre during the Court's next residence at
Fontainebleau. The time was approaching, but
nothing was said about it, and Sacchini remarked
with anxiety that the Queen avoided him and
seemed uneasy in his presence. Suspense became
intolerable, and he sought an audience, when
the Queen unwillingly and hesitatingly confessed
the truth. 'My dear Sacchini, I am accused
of showing too much favour to foreigners. I
have been so much pressed to command a performance
of M. Lemoine's ' ' Phedre " instead of
your ' ' (Edipe " that 1, cannot refuse. You see
the situation ; forgive me. ' Poor Sacchini controlled
himself at the moment, but on arriving
at home gave way to despair. The Queen's
favour lost, he believed his only chance gone.
He took to his bed then and there, and died
three months afterwards, on Oct. 7, 1786.
It is very difficult to form a just estimate of
this composer, whose merits were great, yet
whose importance to the history of Art seems
now so small. The dramatic music of the end
of the 18th century is summed up to us in the
operas of Gluck and Mozart, exclusive of many
others, akin to these in style and tendency,
deficient only in the vital element which makes
one work live while others die out. At the
time of their production the line may have
seemed more difficult to draw. One drop of
essence may be distilled from a large quantity
of material, yet without the proportion of
material that drop would not be obtained.
Among the second-rate writers of this transition
period, Sacchini must rank first. A little
more force, perhaps a little less facility, and he
might have been a great, instead of a clever or
a ' graceful, elegant, and judicious ' composer.
He, better than most Italians, seems to have
understood the dawning idea of the ' poetical
basis of music ' ; unfortunately the musical
ideas,
of which the superstructure must, after
all, consist, while good and appropriate as far
as they went, were limited. His dramatic sense
was keen and just, but was not backed by
sufficient creative power to make a lasting mark.
Fear, remorse, love, hatred, revenge, — these
things repeat themselves in the world's drama
from Time's beginning to its end, but their
expressions are infinite in variety. They repeat
themselves, too, in Sacchini's operas, but always