Francesco Cavalli

His best known works include Ormindo (1644), Giasone (1649) and La Calisto (1651).[1]

Cavalli was born at Crema, then an inland province of the Venetian Republic. He became a singer (boy soprano) at St Mark's Basilica in Venice in 1616, where he had the opportunity to work under the tutorship of Claudio Monteverdi. He became second organist in 1639, first organist in 1665, and in 1668 maestro di cappella. He took the name "Cavalli" from his patron, Venetian nobleman Federico Cavalli. Though he wrote prolifically for the church, he is chiefly remembered for his operas. He began to write for the stage in 1639 (Le nozze di Teti e di Peleo) soon after the first public opera house opened in Venice, the Teatro San Cassiano. He established so great a reputation that he was summoned to Paris from 1660 (when he revived his opera Xerse) until 1662, producing his Ercole amante. He died in Venice at the age of 73.

Cavalli's music was revived in the twentieth century. The Glyndebourne Opera production of La Calisto, in 1970, is an example.[3] More recently, Hipermestra was performed at Glyndebourne in 2017.[5] The discography is extensive and Cavalli has featured in BBC Radio 3's Composer of the Week series.[6]

Attributions to Cavalli considered doubtful by American musicologist Thomas Walker are indicated in the notes.[7] • |Title — |Libretto — |Première date — |Place, theatre — Notes • NozzeLe nozze di Teti e di Peleo — Orazio Persiani — 24 January 1639 — Venice, Teatro San Cassiano — • AmoriGli amori d'Apollo e di Dafne — Giovanni Francesco Busenello — 1640 — Venice, Teatro San Cassiano — • DidoneLa Didone — Giovanni Francesco Busenello — 1641 — Venice, Teatro San Cassiano — • AmoreL'amore innamorato — Giovanni Battista Fusconi — 1 January 1642 — Venice, Teatro San Moisè • NarcisoNarciso et Ecco immortalati — Orazio Persiani — 30 January 1642 — Venice, Teatro Santi Giovanni e Paolo — music lost, doubtful • VirtuLa virtù de' strali d'Amore — Giovanni Faustini — 1642 — Venice, Teatro San Cassiano — • EgistoL'Egisto — Giovanni Faustini — autumn 1643 — Venice, Teatro San Cassiano — • DeidamiaLa Deidamia — Scipione Herrico — 5 January 1644 — Venice, Teatro Novissimo — music lost, doubtful • OrmindoL'Ormindo — Giovanni Faustini — 1644 — Venice, Teatro San Cassiano — • RomoloIl Romolo e 'l Remo — Giulio Strozzi — 1645 — Venice, Teatro Santi Giovanni e Paolo — music lost, doubtful • DoricleaLa Doriclea — Giovanni Faustini — 1645 — Venice, Teatro San Cassiano — • TitoneIl Titone — Giovanni Faustini — 1645 — Venice, Teatro San Cassiano — music lost • ProsperitaLa prosperità infelice di Giulio Cesare dittatore — Giovanni Francesco Busenello — 1646 — Venice, Teatro Santi Giovanni e Paolo — music lost, doubtful • TorildaLa Torilda — Pietro Paolo Bissari — 1648 — Venice, Teatro Santi Giovanni e Paolo — music lost, doubtful • GiasoneIl Giasone — Giacinto Andrea Cicognini — 5 January 1649 — Venice, Teatro San Cassiano — • EuripoL'Euripo — Giovanni Faustini — 1649 — Venice, Teatro San Moise — music lost • OrimonteL'Orimonte — Nicolò Minato — 20 February 1650 — Venice, Teatro San Cassiano[8] • BradamanteLa Bradamante — Pietro Paolo Bissari — 1650 — Venice, Teatro Santi Giovanni e Paolo — music lost, doubtful • ArmidoroL'Armidoro — Bortolo Castoreo — 20 January 1651 — Venice, Teatro San Cassiano — music lost, doubtful • OristeoL'Oristeo — Giovanni Faustini — 9 February 1651 — Venice, Teatro Sant'Apollinare — • RosindaLa Rosinda — Giovanni Faustini — 1651 — Venice, Teatro Sant'Apollinare — also known as Le magie amorose • CalistoLa Calisto — Giovanni Faustini — 28 November 1651 — Venice, Teatro Sant'Apollinare — • EritreaL'Eritrea — Giovanni Faustini — 17 January 1652 — Venice, Teatro Sant'Apollinare — • VeremondaLa Veremonda, l'amazzone di Aragona — Giacinto Andrea Cicognini and Giulio Strozzi — 21 December 1652 — Naples, Nuovo Teatro del Palazzo Reale — also known as Il Delio[9] • HelenaL'Helena rapita da Theseo[10] — Giacomo Badoaro? — 1653 — Venice, Teatro Santi Giovanni e Paolo — music lost, doubtful • OrioneL'Orione — Francesco Melosio — June 1653 — Milan, Teatro Real — • CiroIl Ciro — Giulio Cesare Sorrentino — 30 January 1654 — Venice, Teatro Santi Giovanni e Paolo — in collaboration with Francesco Provenzale • XerseIl Xerse — Nicolò Minato — 12 January 1655 — Venice, Teatro Santi Giovanni e Paolo — • ErismenaL'Erismena — Aurelio Aureli — 30 December 1655 — Venice, Teatro Sant'Apollinare — • StatiraStatira principessa di Persia — Giovanni Francesco Busenello — 18 January 1656 — Venice, Teatro Santi Giovanni e Paolo — • ArtemisiaL'Artemisia — Nicolò Minato — 10 January 1657 — Venice, Teatro Santi Giovanni e Paolo — • HipermestraL'Hipermestra — Giovanni Andrea Moniglia — 12 June 1658 — Florence, Teatro degli Immobili — • AntiocoL'Antioco — Nicolò Minato — 12 January 1659 — Venice, Teatro San Cassiano — music lost • ElenaElena — Giovanni Faustini and Nicolò Minato — 26 December 1659 — Venice, Teatro San Cassiano — also known as Il rapimento d'Helena • PazziaLa pazzia in trono, ossia il Caligola delirante — Domenico Gisberti — 1660 — Venice, Teatro Sant'Apollinare — music lost, doubtful • ErcoleErcole amante — Francesco Buti — 7 February 1662 — Paris, at the Salle des Machines in the Tuileries Palace — Ballet music by Jean-Baptiste Lully • ScipioneScipione affricano — Nicolò Minato — 9 February 1664 — Venice, Teatro Santi Giovanni e Paolo — • MutioMuzio Scevola — Nicolò Minato — 26 January 1665 — Venice, Teatro San Salvatore — • PompeoPompeo Magno — Nicolò Minato — 20 February 1666 — Venice, Teatro San Salvatore — • EliogabaloEliogabalo — Aurelio Aureli — November 1999[11][12] — Crema, Teatro San Domenico — composed 1667 for Venice, Teatro Santi Giovanni e Paolo (unperformed) • CoriolanoCoriolano — Cristoforo Ivanovich — 27 May 1669 — Piacenza, Teatro Ducale — music lost • MasenzioMasenzio — Giacomo Francesco Bussani — composed 1673 — unperformed and music lost

• Musiche sacre concernenti messa, e salmi concertati con istromenti, imni, antifone et sonate (Venecia, 1656). • Messa, 8vv, 2 vn, vc, otros instrumentos ad libitum ed. R. Leppard (Londres, 1966). • Alma redemptoris mater, 2 S, A, T, B, ed. B. Stäblein, Musica divina, iv (Regensburg, 1950). • Ave maris stella, A, T, B. • Ave regina caelorum, T, B, ed. B. Stäblein, Musica divina, i (Regensburg, 1950). • Beatus vir, A, T, B, 2 vn, vc. • Confitebor tibi Domine, 8vv, 2 vn, vc • Credidi, 2 S, A, T, B, 2 vn, vc • Deus tuorum militum, A, T, B, 2 vn, vc • Dixit Dominus, 8vv, 2 vn, vc, other insts ad lib • Domine probasti, S, A, B, 2 vn, vc • Exultet orbis, 4vv, 2 vn, vc • In convertendo, 2 S, A, T, B • Iste confessor, 2 S, 2 vn, vc • Jesu corona virginum, A, T, B, 2 vn, vc • Laetatus sum, A, T, B, 2 vn, 3 va, ed. R. Leppard (London, 1969) • Lauda Jerusalem, 8vv, 2 vn, vc, other insts ad lib • Laudate Dominum, 8vv, 2 vn, vc, ed. R. Leppard (London, 1969) • Laudate pueri, 2 S, A, T, B, 2 vn, vc • Magnificat, 8vv, 2 vn, vc, other insts ad lib, ed. R. Leppard (London, 1969) • Nisi Dominus, 4vv, 2 vn, vc • Regina caeli, A, T, B, ed. B. Stäblein, Musica divina, ii (Regensburg, 1950) • Salve regina, A, 2 T, B, ed. B. Stäblein, Musica divina, iii (Regensburg, 1950) • Canzoni [sonate] a 3, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12; a 6 y a 12 ed. R. Nielsen (Bologna, 1955) • Vesperi, 8vv, bc (Venice, 1675) • Vespero della B.V. Maria: Dixit Dominus; Laudate pueri; Laetatus sum; Nisi Dominus; Lauda Jerusalem; Magnificat. ed. G. Piccioli (Milan, 1960); ed. F. Bussi (Milan, 1995) • Vespero delle domeniche: Dixit Dominus; Confitebor; Beatus vir; Laudate pueri; In exitu Israel; Laudate Dominum; Credidi; In convertendo; Domine probasti; Beati omnes; De profundis; Memento; Confitebor angelorum; Magnificat, ed. G. Piccioli (Milan, 1960); all ed. F. Bussi (Milan, 1995) • Vespero delle cinque Laudate ad uso della cappella di S Marco: Laudate pueri; Laudate Dominum laudate eum; Lauda anima mea; Laudate Dominum quoniam bonus; Lauda Jerusalem; Magnificat, ed. G. Piccioli (Milan, 1960); all ed. F. Bussi (Milan, 1995) • Cantate Domino, 1v, bc, 16252; ed. F. Vatielli, Antiche cantate spirituali (Turin, 1922) • O quam suavis, 1v, bc, 16453 • Magnificat, 6vv, 2 vn, bc, 16505; ed. F. Bussi (Milan, 1988) • In virtute tua, 3vv, bc, 16561 • O bone Jesu, 2vv, bc, 16561 • Plaudite, cantate, 3vv, bc, 16561 • Missa pro defunctis [Requiem], 8vv, bc, D-Bsb, Dlb; ed. F. Bussi (Milan, 1978)

Francesco Cavalli is recorded as organist, opera composer, chapelmaster and composer.