Pasquini, Bernardo
Pasquini, Bernardo
Pasquini, Bernardo, eminent Italian organist, harpsichordist, pedagogue, and composer; b. Massa di Valdinievole, near Lucca, Dec. 7,1637; d. Rome, Nov. 21, 1710. He settled in Rome (1650), where he studied with Vittori and Cesti. He was organist at Chiesa Nuova (1661–63), S. Maria Maggiore (1663), S. Maria in Ara-coeli (1664–1710), and S. Luigi dei Francesi (1673–75); was also first organist at the Oratory of SS. Crocifisso (1664–85). He served as harpsichordist and music director to Prince Giambattista Borghese, and was the teacher of Della Ciaja, Durante, and G. Muffat. In 1706 he became a member of the Arcadian Academy. Although greatly esteemed as a keyboard player, little of his music was publ. in his lifetime; many of his vocal works are lost. He excelled as a composer of keyboard suites and variations. See M. Haynes, ed., Bernardo Pasquini: Collected Works for a Keyboard, Corpus of Early Keyboard Music, V/l-7 (1964–68).
Works
dramatic (all 1st perf. in Rome unless otherwise given): opera: Lfl sincerità con la sincerità, overo II Tirinto (Ariccia, 1672); La forza d’amore (Rome, 1672; rev. as Con la forza à’amor si vince amore, Pratolino, near Florence, 1679); L’amor per vendetta, overo L’Alcasta (Jan. 27, 1673); Tespolo tutore (1675); La Donna ancora è fidèle (Carnival 1676); La caduta delregno dell’Amazzoni (1678); Dov’è è pietà (Carnival 1679); L’Idalma, overo Chi la duca la vince (Carnival 1680); Il Lisimaco (Carnival 1681); La Tessalonica (Jan. 31, 1683); L’Arianna (Carni-vai 1685); Santa Dinna (Carnival 1687; in collaboration with A. Melani and A Scarlatti); L’Eudossia (Feb. 6, 1692). vocal Oratorios: L’Agar (March 17, 1675); L’Assuero (Aprii 15, 1675); Sant’Alessio (1676); Sant’Agnese (1677); Sant’Eufrasia (c. 1677); Salutazione angelica (Messina, 1681); Divae dame triumphus (March 20,1682); L’idolatria di Salomone (1686); I fatti di Mosè nel deserto (Modena, 1687); II martirio dei santi (Modena, 1687); L’Abramo (Palermo, 1688); La sete di Christo (1689); La caduta di Salomone (Florence, 1693); L’Ismaele (Florence, 1693); David trionfante contro Goliath (Florence, 1694). other: Some 60 cantatas, of which 50 are for Solo Voice, 2 canzonettas, solo motets and arias, etc. keyboard: Sonatas, dances, toccatas, variations, etc.
Bibliography
V. Virgili, B. P. (Pescia, 1908); A. Bonaventura, B. P. (Ascoli Piceno, 1923); E. Luin, B. P. e il suo tricentenario (Rome, 1939); W. Heimrich, Die Orgel- und Cembalo-Werke B. P.s (diss., Free Univ. of Berlin, 1958); M. Haynes, The Keyboard Works of B. P. (diss., Ind. Univ., 1960); G. Crain, The Operas ofB. P. (diss., Yale Univ., 1965).
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire