Giovanni Battista Bassani

Giovanni Battista Bassani (* around 1647 in Padua ; † October 1, 1716 in Bergamo ) was an Italian violinist and composer.

Life

He received his education in Venice , where Bassani was presumably a student of Giovanni Lenzei and Daniele da Castrovillari (1617-1659-74). He received violin lessons from Giovanni Battista Vitali . Since 1677 he was a respected member of the Accademia Filarmonica in Bologna , whose "Principe" he became in 1682. From 1685 he worked as Kapellmeister of the brotherhood of the Accademia della Morte in Ferrara and from 1688 also as organist and Kapellmeister at the Cathedral of Ferrara . In 1712 he was appointed Kapellmeister to Santa Maria Maggiore in Bergamo , which he held until his death.

Bassani also endeavored to develop the violin bow , the previously convex shape was now rather stretched and his bow had a device on the frog to tighten and loosen the string.

Works

He created numerous works of all genres, including 13 operas and 13 oratorios , eight of which have been lost. He also composed sacred music for a wide variety of instrumentations, including the Acroama missale, a collection of masses and motets (1709 Augsburg). A copy of this was in the estate of Johann Sebastian Bach .

Instrumental works

• Op. 1: 12 trio sonatas Balletti, Correnti, Gighe, e Sarabande à Violino e Violone, overo Spinetta, con il Secondo Violino à beneplacito (Bologna 1677)
• Op. 5: 12 Symphony a due, e tre Instromenti, con il Basso continuo per l'Organo (Bologna 1683)
• Prelude by Signr. Bassani (in Select Preludes or Volentarys for the Violin by the most eminent Masters in Europe , London 1705)
• Sonata for a keyboard instrument (in 18 Sonata da Organo di varii Autori , Bologna ca.1697)

Vocal works

With opus number

• Op. 2: Cantate Amorose Musicali à voce sola (Bologna 1680)
• Op. 6: Affetti canori, cantate et ariette (Bologna 1684)
• Op. 7: Eco armonica delle muse (Bologna 1688)
• Op. 8: Resi armonici in motetti (Bologna 1690)
• Op. 9: Armonici entusiasmi di Davide, overo salmi concertati a quattro voci con violini, e suoi ripieni, con altri salmi a due, e tre voci con violini (Venice 1690)
• Op. 10: Salmi di compieta a trè e quattro voci concertati, con violini e ripieni (Venice 1691)
• Op. 12: Motetti a voce sola (Venice 1692)
• Op. 15: Armoniche fantasie di cantate amorose a voce sola (Venice 1694)
• Op. 25: Completory concenti a 4 voci Concertate mancando qualsi voglia Parte, con Violini, e Ripieni a beneplacito (Bologna 1701)

Oratorios

• L'Esaltazione di S Croce, 1675
• L'Epulone, 1675
• La tromba della divina misericordia, 1676
• L'amore ingeniero, 1678
• Il mistico Roveto, 1681
• Il Davide punito overo La pestilente strage d'Israele, 1686
• Il Giona (Ambrosini), 1689
• Mosè risorto dalle acque, 1694
• Il conte di Bacheville, 1696
• Susanna, 1697
• Gl'impegni del divino amore nel transito della Beata Caterina Vegri detta di Bologna, 1703
• La morte delusa, 1703; together with GB Brevi, GA Perti , GB Bononcini , A. Scarlatti
• Il trionfo della Fede, 1704

Operas

• L'amorosa preda di Paride, Dramma per musica in 3 acts (1683 Bologna)
• Falaride tiranno d'Agrigento, (Adriano Morselli), Dramma per musica in 3 acts (1683 Venice)
• L'Alarico, rè de 'Goti, (B. Bonacossi), Dramma per musica in 3 acts (1685 Ferrara)
• Vitige, Dramma per musica in 3 acts (1686 Ferrara)
• Agrippina in Baia (1687)
• Gli amori alla moda, Scherzo melodrammatico in 3 acts (1688 Ferrara)
• Il trionfo di Venere in Ida, Melodramma (Ferara 1688)
• La Ginevra, infanta di Scozia, Dramma per musica in 3 acts (1690 Ferrara)
• Le vicende di coceio Nerva, Dramma per musica in 3 acts (1691 Ferrara)
• Gli amori tra gl'odii o sia Il Ramiro in Norvegia, Dramma per musica in 3 acts (1693 Verona)
• Roderico (1696 Ferrara)
• L'Alarico (1709)
• Armida al campo (1711 Ferrara)

Others

• Acroama missale (1709 Augsburg)
• Cantate a voce sola (manuscript)
• Motetti a voce sola con due violini (manuscript)

Web links

• Works by and about Giovanni Battista Bassani in the catalog of the German National Library
• Sheet music and audio files by Giovanni Battista Bassani in the International Music Score Library Project
• List of stage works by Giovanni Battista Bassani based on the MGG at Operone