Grove's dictionary of music and musicians

';
646 SPONTINI
SPONTINI, Gasparo Luigi Pacifioo, born
Nov. 14, 1774, at Majolati, near Jesi (the birthplace
of Pergolesi), of simple peasants. Three
of his brothers took orders, and Gasparo was also
destined for the priesthood. An uncle on the
father's side took charge of the delicate child of
eight, and gave him elementary instruction. It
happened that a new organ was to be built for
this uncle's church, and the builder, who had
been sent for from Recanati, took up his abode
for the time at the parsonage. Here he brought
his harpsichord, and found an earnest listener in
Spontini, who would try to pick out for himself
what he had heard, wlienever the organ-builder
was absent. The latter noticed the boy's talent,
and advised his uncle to have him educated as
a musician ; but to this the priest would by
no means consent, resorting indeed to harsh
measures to drive the music out of him. The
result was that Spontini ran away to Monte San
Vito, where he had another uncle of a milder disposition,
who procured him music lessons from a
certain Quintiliani. In the course of a year the
uncle at Jesi relented, took back his nephew, and
had him well grounded by the local musicians.
In 1791 his parents took him to Naples,
where he was admitted into the Conservatorio
de' Turchini. His masters for counterpoint and
composition were Sala and Tritto, for singing,
Tarantino. ' In the Neapolitan Conservatories
a certain number of the more advanced pupils
were set to teach the more backward ones.
These ' monitors,' as we should say, were called
maestrini or maestricelU.'^ In 1795 Spontini
became a candidate for the post of fourth maestrino,
but the examiners gave the preference to
another pupil. This seems to have roused the
lad to special industry, and in a short time he
was appointed first maestrino. His exercise for
the competition of 1795 has been preserved, and
is now in the archives of the Real CoUegio di
Musica at Naples. It must be the earliest of
his compositions now in existence.'
Spontini had already composed some cantatas
and church-music performed in Naples and the
neighbourhood, and in 1796 had an opportunity
of attempting opera. The invitation came from
one of the directors of the Teatro Argentina in
Rome, who had been pleased with some of
Spontini's music which he had heard at Naples.
The professors seem to have refused him leave
to go, so he left the Conservatorio by stealth,
and,reachingRome,quioklycomposed'Ipuntigli
delle donne' with brilliant success. He was
readmitted into the Turchini at the intercession
of Piccinni, who had lived at Naples since his
return in 1791, and gave Spontini valuable advice
with regard to composition, particularly for
his next opera, ' L'Eroismoridicolo.'* This also
1 Florimo's Cermio etorico tnilla muola mustcale di Napoli (Naples,
1869), vol. 1. p. 50. On p. 673 Florimo speaks of Salieri and not
Tarantino as Spontjnl'a master.
2 Licittenthal, IHtionarioe JBibliografia deUa Musiea (Milan, 1826),
TOl. ii. p. 20. ^ Florimo, pp. 595, 609, and elsewliere.
1 1 can find no quite satisfactory ground for the statement so often
was produced in Rome (1797), as well as a third,
'
II finto Pittore ' (1798). Next followed three
operas for Florence, all in 1798. Meantime
Naples had begun to fix its attention on Spontini.
L'Eroismo ridicolo ' (one act) was
'
given
at the Teatro Nuovo during the Carnival of
1798, and reproduced in two acts as 'La fiiita
Filosofa ' at the same house in the summer of
1799. In the Carnival of 1800 the same theatre
brought out a new work by the industrious composer,
La fuga ' in masehera.' » It is doubtful if
he was present at the performance ; for on Dec.
21, 1798, the Court, alarmed at the advance of
the French troops, took flight to Palermo, and
Cimarosa, who as maestro di oappella should
have gone too, refusing to stir, Spontini was put
in his place, and during 1800 composed for the
Court in Palermo no less than three operas, in the
facile and rapid style of a true disciple of the
Neapolitan School. This is specially worth
noting, as he afterwards completely changed in
this respect, and elaborated most slowly and
carefully the very works on which his European
fame rests. In Palermo he also began to teach
singing, but towards the end of 1800 was forced
to leave, as the climate was afl^ecting his health.
After supplying more operas for Rome and
Venice, he paid a visit to Jesi, and then took
ship at Naples for Marseilles. His objective
was Paris, and there he arrived in 1803.
From Lulli downwards all Italian composers
seem to have been impelled to try their fortunes
in the French capital. And, with the solitary
exception of Gluck, we may say that each fresh
development of French opera has originated with
an Italian. Invariably, however, these foreign
artists have had to encounter the onslaughts of
the national jealousy. The Bouffonists, Gluck,
Cherubini, all went through the same experience
it was now Spontini's turn. The work by which
he introduced himself at the Theatre Italien (as
arranged in 1801), 'La finta Filosofa,' was, it is
true, well received ; but when he entered on the
special domain of the French op&a-comique he
was roughly disillusioned. His first work of the
kind, ' Julie, ou le pot de fleurs ' (March 1804),
failed, and though remodelled by the composer
and revived in 1805, could not even then keep
the boards." The second, La ' petite Maison
(June 23, 1804), was hissed off. This fate was
not wholly undeserved. Spontini had fancied
that the light, pleasing, volatile style, which
suited his own countrymen, would equally please
the Parisians. The composition of ' La petite
Maison ' (three acts) occupied him only two
months, and ' Julie ' considerably less. I only
know the latter, which was also produced (withmade
in print that it was Cimarosa and not Piccinni who gave
Spontini instruction in composition.
s F(StiB speaks of yet another opera, ' L' Amore segreto ' (Naples,
1799), but there is no mention of it in Florimo's 4th volume.
P At least so says F^tis, who was living in Paris from the middle
of 1804 to 1811, and who not only took great interest in Spontini's
works but was personally acqu.-iinted with him, Ledebur, in his
Berliner Tonktbtwiter-I^xiccn (Berlin, 1861), p. 501, gives a wholly
opposite account, but F^tis seems the more credible witness.