Cocchi, Gioacchino

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Cocchi, Gioacchino

Cocchi, Gioacchino, Italian composer; b. probably in Naples, c. 1720; d. probably in Venice, after 1788. He may have studied with Giovanni Veneziano at the Conservatorio di S. Maria di Loreto in Naples. He began his career as a composer for the theater with the opera Adelaide (Rome, Carnival 1743), subsequently bringing out many operas for Rome and Naples, winning his most popular success with La Maestra (Naples, 1747). He was in Venice by 1750, where he served as choir director at the Ospedale degli Incurabili until 1757. He then went to London as composer and music director of the Haymarket Theatre until 1762. He returned to Venice c. 1772. He excelled in opera buffa; among such works, in addition to those given above, were L’Elisa (Naples, 1744), L’Irene (Naples, 1745), I due fratelli beffati (Naples, 1746), La Serva bacchettona (Naples, 1749), La mascherata (Venice, Dec. 27, 1750), II Tutore (Rome, 1752), and IIPazzo glorioso (Venice, 1753). He also composed a significant number of other stage works, oratorios, serenatas, cantatas, vocal chamber pieces, and instrumental music.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire

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