Giovanni Battista Mele

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Giovanni Battista Mele also: Juan Bautista Mele (* 1701 or 1703/4 in Naples ; † after 1752 ibid) was an Italian composer of the Neapolitan school of the late baroque.

Life

Regarding his age, Mele stated in September 1750 that he was 56 years old, so his year of birth was set at 1703 or 1704. Newer sources give 1701 as the year of birth. On November 25, 1710 Giovanni Battista Mele entered the "Conservatorio dei Poveri di Gesù Cristo", he studied with Gaetano Greco and from the age of 12 with Leonardo Vinci .

From 1735 Giovanni Battista Mele worked in Madrid , where he created stage works in Italian style for local theaters alongside Francesco Corradini (around 1690–1769) and Francesco Corselli . His first work for Madrid was Por amor y por lealtad , a Spanish translation and adaptation of the Demetrio by Pietro Metastasio , performed at the Teatro de la Cruz. Mele also worked at the court of the Spanish King Philip V , for whom he wrote two Italian serenatas (operas) in 1744 . His works show a proximity to the style of Francesco Feo and that of the younger Spanish composer Domènech Terradellas , but also show remarkable individual characteristics.

In 1752 Mele asked the king for permission to return to Naples, possibly because, despite the success of his opera Armida, he did not receive any further opera commissions for the seasons 1751 and 1752; these went to Nicola Conforto and Niccolò Jommelli . Mele's request was granted and a severance payment of 400 Doblones was granted.

Works (selection)

Operas and serenatas
  • Por amor y por lealtad recobrar la majestad (Opera seria, DV de Camacho, based on Demetrio by Pietro Metastasio , 1736, Madrid)
  • Amor constancia y mujer (Opera seria, based on Siface by Pietro Metastasio, 1737, Madrid)
  • La clemencia de Tito (3rd act) (Opera seria, libretto by de Luzán y Suelves, after Pietro Metastasio, 1747, Madrid; in collaboration with Francesco Corselli (1st act) and Francesco Corradini (2nd act))
  • Angélica y Medoro (Festa teatrale, libretto Pietro Metastasio, after Ludovico Ariosto , 1747, Madrid)
  • El polifemo (3rd act) (Opera seria, Libretto di Rolli, 1748, Madrid; in collaboration with Francesco Corselli (1st act) and Francesco Corradini (2nd act))
  • El vellón de oro conquistado (Opera seria, libretto after Giovanni Pico della Mirandola , 1748, Madrid)
  • Endimion y Diana (Azione teatrale, based on Endimione by Pietro Metastasio)
  • El Artajeres (Dramma per musica, based on Artaserse by Pietro Metastasio; pasticcio with music by various composers, the recitatives and some arias are from Mele; 1749, Madrid)
  • Armida placata (Opera seria, libretto by GA Migliavacca, 1750, Madrid)
  • Arianna in Teseo (previously missing)
  • Il mago per amore (previously lost)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ http://www.haendel.it/compositori/mele.htm
  2. ^ List of the stage works by Giovanni Battista Mele based on the MGG at Operone, accessed on October 6, 2014.
personal data
SURNAME Mele, Giovanni Battista
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Mele, Juan Bautista
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Italian composer
DATE OF BIRTH 1701 or 1703 or 1704
PLACE OF BIRTH Naples
DATE OF DEATH after 1752
Place of death Naples