Porpora, Nicola (Antonio)

Porpora, Nicola (Antonio) , famous Italian composer and singing teacher; b. Naples, Aug. 17, 1686; d. there, March 3, 1768. The son of a bookseller, he entered the Cons. dei Poveri at Naples at the age of 10 and studied with Gaetano Greco, Matteo Giordano, and Ottavio Campanile. Porpora’s first opera, Agrippina, was presented at the Royal Palace of Naples (Nov. 4, 1708); Cardinal Grimani attended the performance and wrote a libretto on the same subject for Handel. This episode gave rise to the incorrect statement (by Fétis and others) that Handel heard Porpora’s opera in Rome in 1710. Porpora produced in Naples 2 more operas: Flavio Anicio Olibrio (1711) and Basilio, re d’oriente (June 24, 1713). From 1711 until 1725, he held the title of maestro di cappella to Philip, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt. He gained a great reputation as a singing teacher, and numbered among his pupils the famous castrati Farinelli, Caffarelli, Antonio Uberti (who called himself “Porporino” out of respect for his teacher), and Salimbeni. Metastasio, who wrote librettos for several of Porpora’s operas, was also his pupil. Porpora’s career as a singing teacher was divided between Naples and Venice. In Naples he taught at the conservatories of Sant’ Onofrio (1715–22, 1760–61) and Santa Maria di Loreto (1739–41, 1760–61); in Venice he gave lessons at the Ospedali degli Incurabili (1726–33, 1737–38), the Ospedali della Pietà (1742–46), and the Ospedaletto (1746–47). In 1718 Porpora collaborated with D. Scarlatti in the writing of the opera Berenice, regina d’Egitto, produced in Rome (1718). At about this time he succeeded in obtaining support from the Austrian court. His opera Temistocle was produced in Vienna on the Emperor’s birthday (Oct. 1, 1718); his next opera, Faramondo, was staged in Naples (Nov. 19, 1719). He continued to write operas for theaters in Naples and Rome: Eumene (Rome, 1721), Adelaide (Rome, 1723), Semiramide, regina dell’Assiria (Naples, 1724), and Didone abbandonata (his 1^st opera to a libretto by Metastasio; Reggio Emilia, 1725). In 1726 he settled in Venice. Among the operas he wrote during the next 8 years were Meride e Selinunte (Venice, 1726), Siroe, re di Persia (Milan, 1726), Semiramide riconosciuta (Venice, 1729), Mitridate (Rome, 1730), Tamerlano (Turin, 1730), Poro (Turin, 1731), Germanico in Germania (Rome, 1732), and Issipile (Rome, 1733). In 1733 he applied for the post of maestro di cappella at San Marco in Venice, but failed to obtain it. In the same year he was engaged by the directors of the Opera of the Nobility in London (organized as a rival company to that of Handel). For this venture Porpora wrote 5 operas: Arianna in Nasso (Dec. 29, 1733), Enea nel Lazio (May 11, 1734), Polifemo (Feb. 1, 1735), Ifigenia in Aulide (May 3, 1735), and Mitridate (Jan. 24, 1736; a different score from the earlier opera of the same title). For a while he competed successfully with Handel, but soon the Opera of the Nobility began to falter, and Porpora left London on the eve of the company’s collapse. From 1747 to 1751, he was in Dresden as singing teacher to the Electoral Princess. There he became Hasse’s competitor for the position of music director. Although Hasse conducted Porpora’s “pastoral drama” Filandro (Dresden, July 18, 1747), their relationship was made difficult by the intrigues of Hasse’s wife, the singer Faustina Bordoni. In 1751 Porpora left Dresden for Vienna, where he became the teacher of Haydn, who paid for his lessons by serving Porpora as accompanist and personal helper. Porpora returned to Naples in 1758. His last stage work, Il trionfo di Camilla, was given in Naples on May 30, 1760, with little success. In addition to his varied and numerous stage works, Porpora wrote sacred oratorios, secular cantatas, and serenatas. Among his instrumental works are 6 Sinfonie da camera for 2 Violins and Basso Continuo (London, 1736), 6 Sonatas for 2 Violins, Cello, and Basso Continuo (London, 1745, in collaboration with G. B. Costanza), a Cello Concerto, a Flute Concerto, and Ouverture roiale (1763).

Bibliography

F. Walker, A Chronology of the Life and Works of N. P. (Cambridge, 1951); A. Mayeda, N A. P. als Instrumentalkomponist (diss., Univ. of Vienna, 1967; with thematic catalogue); E. Sutton, The Solo Vocal Works of N. P.: An Annotated Thematic Index (diss., Univ. of Minn., 1974).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire