Nicola Matteis

Nicola Matteis ( Godfrey Kneller , 1682)

Nicola Matteis the Elder "Neapolitano" (* around 1650 in Naples (?); † before 1703 or after 1713 in Colkirk in the county of Norfolk ) was an Italian violinist, guitarist and composer of the Baroque era who worked in England.

Life

Nothing is known about Nicola Matteis' youth. Before Matteis came to England, according to the music biographer Roger North (1653–1734) , he was said to have traveled on foot through Germany with the violin in his backpack. Matteis worked at the latest from 1672 until the end of his life as an artist and teacher in London, mostly in the circles of the upper middle class and the lower nobility. Matteis published a total of 4 volumes of Ayrs for the Violin with suites for violin and figured bass . The first two volumes appeared in 1676, two more in 1685, and a second treble part was added to these in 1687. Some other works have survived as manuscripts. In the suites, Matteis likes to use the repetition by division form, popular in England, as well as effective double stops and rich harmonies.

After a private concert on November 19, 1674, the architect John Evelyn noted in his diary about Mattheis' violin playing: “I heard the violinist Signor Nicholao, whom no mortal can surely surpass on this instrument. He had such a sweet stroke and let the violin speak like a human voice ... He worked wonders on one note, is also an excellent composer ... Nothing was like the violin in Nicholas' hand. "

In the preface to the printed works, Matteis gives instructions on how to play the violin and how he should hold the violin.

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In addition to the four collections of Ayrs for the Violin , which were printed by Carlo Maria Scandolo in London from 1676, Matteis published a figured bass school for guitar in 1680, False consonance della musica per toccar la chitarra sopra all partie in breve ... , which was published in 1980 as Facsimile edition appeared. There is also a collection of songs called A Collection of New Songs .

Discography (selection)

In addition to numerous collective recordings with works by other composers, the following exclusively contain works by Matteis:

• The Arcadian Academy, Nicholas McGegan - Ayres for the Violin. Suites and Sonatas Vol. I and Vol. II ( Harmonia Mundi , 1993/1994)
• Chatham Baroque - The Scotch Humor. Music of Nicola Matteis (Ayres for the Violin) (Dorian, 1998)
• Gli Incogniti, Amandine Beyer - Matteis - False Consonances of Melancholy. Ayres for the Violin (Zig-Zag, 2009)
• Hélène Schmitt - Nicola Matteis - Ayrs for the Violin (Alpha, 2009)

His sons

Nicola Matteis the Younger (* after 1670 in England; † October 23, 1737 in Vienna ) was also a violinist and composer.

The son of "Neapolitano" received violin lessons from his father and from 1700 worked under Johann Joseph Fux in the Viennese court orchestra , from 1712 he was Direttore della musica instrumentale and from 1714 to 1737 composer of courtly ballet music, mostly at the end of an act Operas by Conti, Ziani, Caldara, Bononcini, Fux and others have been used. A surviving violin sonata is based on the father's style.

John-Nicola Matteis (baptized December 27, 1694 ), also a violinist.

literature

• Philip H. Highfill: A Biographical Dictionary of Actors, Actresses, Musicians, Dancers, Managers and Other Stage Personnel in London, 1660-1800. Volume 10. Southern Illinois University Press, 1984, ISBN 0-8093-1130-5 , pp. 138-141 ( limited preview in Google Book Search).

Web links

• Description of Mattei's work and style on Deutschlandfunk, September 2009 (accessed May 24, 2011)
• Sheet music and audio files by Nicola Matteis in the International Music Score Library Project

Individual evidence

1. ^ Philip H. Highfill: A Biographical Dictionary of Actors, Actresses, Musicians, Dancers, Managers and Other Stage Personnel in London, 1660-1800 ... Volume 10, p. 138
2. ↑ MGG , 2nd edition, Vol. 11, Col. 1328
3. ↑ Amandine Beyer provides explanations on the pose of the violin and Matteis' playing technique on YouTube
4. ↑ See James Tyler: Introduction to the facsimile edition of: Nicola Matteis: The False Conconances of Musick (1682). Editions Chanterelle, Monaco 1980.
5. ↑ Collection of new Songs : Sheet music and audio files in the International Music Score Library Project