Sammartini, Giuseppe (Francesco Gaspare Melchiorre Baldassare)
Sammartini, Giuseppe (Francesco Gaspare Melchiorre Baldassare)
Sammartini, Giuseppe (Francesco Gaspare Melchiorre Baldassare) , Italian oboist and composer, brother of Giovanni Battista Sammartini tini, called “il Londinese” after settling in London; b. Milan, Jan. 6, 1695; d. London, Nov. 1750. He most likely studied oboe with his father, Alexis Saint-Martin, who settled in Italy. By 1720 he was a member of the orch. of the Teatro Regio Ducal in Milan. In 1728 he went to London, where he established himself as a virtuoso oboist; also played in the opera orch. at the King’s Theatre. From 1736 until his death he also was music master to the wife and children of the Prince of Wales. He composed a considerable number of instrumental works, including 12 concerti grossi, 16 overtures, concertos for various instruments, many sonatas, duets, etc. His vocal music includes 9 cantatas, an aria and a sinfonia for the oratorio La calunnia delusa (Milan, 1724), and a pasticcio by several Italian composers. He may also have composed the masque The judgement of Paris (c. 1740), which is usually attributed to Arne. See R. Fiske, “A Cliveden Setting,” Music & Letters, XLVII (1966).
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire