Marcos António Portugal
Marcos Antonio da Fonseca Simao , known as Marcos António Portugal (* 24. March 1762 in Lisbon ; † 7. February 1830 in Rio de Janeiro ) was a Portuguese composer of operas and sacred music of the classical period .
Life
From 1771 Marcos António Portugal studied composition, singing and organ under João de Sousa Carvalho at the Seminário Patriarcal in Lisbon. In 1783 Portugal was accepted into the Brotherhood of Santa Cecilia as organist and composer at the Seminário Patriarcal . During this time he began his long-term relationship with the Portuguese royal family, for whose chapels he created his numerous sacred compositions. Portugal was hired as Kapellmeister at Lisbon's Teatro do Salite in 1785 and composed a series of farsas and intermezzo for this theater until 1792, when he traveled to Naples to deepen his operatic practice , but there quickly composed himself and with the Opera buffa " La confusione della somiglianza “ was able to achieve rapid success. He was then able to successfully perform various buffo operas and farces in Italy and the rest of Europe, while his efforts in the field of opera seria were received less positively.
In 1800 he finally returned to Lisbon, where he was appointed director of the Teatro Nacional de São Carlos . He shared this position from 1803 to 1807 with Valentino Fioravant, who was responsible for buffo operas, while Portugal, with its own opera troupe, was responsible for the area of the seria. This explains why he wrote twelve opera series during this time , but only one buffa , the latter being the only one that gained greater popularity, also outside of Portugal.
In 1807 as the Prince Regent and later King John VI. moved his court to the palace of Mafra , Portugal created an unusually large number of sacred compositions, which were intended for performances in the palace basilica, with its six organs. When Napoléon Bonaparte invaded Lisbon in November 1807, Portugal stayed in the city. On the occasion of the emperor's birthday, a revised version of his opera Demofonte was given, which was first performed in Milan in 1797.
In 1811 he embarked for Rio de Janeiro , where the royal family had lived since 1808. He got the job as a royal court composer and became a music teacher for the prince's children. In 1815 Portugal traveled to Milan, where his opera Adriano in Siria was given at Carnival . When the court returned to Lisbon in 1821, Portugal remained in the service of its pupil, the future Emperor Peter I of Brazil. After 1825 he no longer composed, with the exception of a few well-known sacred works.
plant
In the course of his career, Portugal composed more than 40 works for stage and music, among which no genre stands out in terms of sheer number: many farsas , dramma giocoso , per musica and serio , but also intermezzos are represented. His fame seemed to be limited mainly to his comic works.
In terms of style, Portugal owes much to the tried and tested Neapolitan tradition of Cimarosa and others, to which he is closely attached, but which at the time represented a certain conservative element.
Works (selection)
| plant | premiere | genus | Librettist |
|---|---|---|---|
| O lunático iludido | Lisbon, 1791 | dramma [giocoso] | Carlo Goldoni |
| La confusione della somiglianza | Florence, 1793 | dramma giocoso | Cosimo Mazzini |
| Demofoonte | Milan, 1794 | dramma per musica | Pietro Metastasio |
| Lo spazzacamino principe | Venice, 1794 | commedia con musica | Giuseppe Maria Foppa |
| La donna di genio volubile | Venice, 1796 | dramma giocoso | Giovanni Bertati |
| Le donne cambiate | Venice, 1797 | farsa | Giuseppe Maria Foppa |
| Not irritar le donne | Venice, 1798 | farsa | Giuseppe Maria Foppa |
| La pazza giornata, ovvero Il matrimonio di Figaro | Venice, 1799 | dramma comico per musica | Gaetano Rossi |
| L'oro non compra amore | Lisbon, 1804 | dramma giocoso | Giuseppe Caravita |
| Artaserse | Lisbon, 1806 | dramma serio | Pietro Metastasio |
| A saloia namorada | Rio de Janeiro, 1812 | farsa | Domingos Caldas Barbosa |
Web links
- Comprehensive CV Portugalos (in English)
- List of stage works by Marcos António Portugal based on the MGG at Operone
- Search for operas by Marcos António Portugal (search term in the Autore field : “Portugal Marcos António”) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna
- Sheet music and audio files from Marcos Portugal in the International Music Score Library Project
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Portugal, Marcos António |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Fonseca Simao, Marcos António da; Portogalo, Marcos António |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Portuguese composer of operas and church music |
| DATE OF BIRTH | March 24, 1762 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Lisbon |
| DATE OF DEATH | February 7, 1830 |
| Place of death | Rio de Janeiro |