Vincenzo Righini
Encyclopedia
Vincenzo Maria Righini was an Italian composer, singer and kapellmeister
.
and studied singing and composition with Padre Martini in his home town. Initially he performed as a singer in Florence
(1769) and Rome
(1770), however, according to Fétis
he made his debut as a tenor
in Parma
in 1775. Opera buffa
La vedova scaltra, considered his first contribution to musical theatre, was performed in 1774 at the Prague
theatre "V kotcích". From 1774 to 1777 Righini worked in Prague, as a member of the theatre ensemble of Giuseppe Bustelli. He composed and staged operas to the libretti of N. Porta. At the end of 1777 he moved to Vienna
, where he was engaged as a music teacher and composer. His comic operas were often performed in Burgtheater
. In 1787 he replaced Antonio Salieri
as the court kapellmeister for a brief period, Salieri stayed in Paris
in that time. In 1787 he also moved to Mainz
, where he became a court kapellmeister for the elector Friedrich Karl Joseph von Erthal
. In March, 1793, he was appointed the Royal Prussian court kapellmeister and he led the operation of theatres in Berlin
and Potsdam
. He also composed grand operas for local theatres, often to the libretti of A. De'Filistri. He died in Bologna.
, composed for Prague stage. He is considered a skilful, but not very original composer, who often took advantage of invention of other composers. His Don Giovanni was performed in 1997 at the Dejvické divadlo in Prague, and in 2003 at the Městské divadlo in Brno.
Selected operas
Kapellmeister
Kapellmeister is a German word designating a person in charge of music-making. The word is a compound, consisting of the roots Kapelle and Meister . The words Kapelle and Meister derive from the Latin: capella and magister...
.
Biography
Righini was born at BolognaBologna
Bologna is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna, in the Po Valley of Northern Italy. The city lies between the Po River and the Apennine Mountains, more specifically, between the Reno River and the Savena River. Bologna is a lively and cosmopolitan Italian college city, with spectacular history,...
and studied singing and composition with Padre Martini in his home town. Initially he performed as a singer in Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
(1769) and Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
(1770), however, according to Fétis
François-Joseph Fétis
François-Joseph Fétis was a Belgian musicologist, composer, critic and teacher. He was one of the most influential music critics of the 19th century, and his enormous compilation of biographical data in the Biographie universelle des musiciens remains an important source of information today...
he made his debut as a tenor
Tenor
The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
in Parma
Parma
Parma is a city in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna famous for its ham, its cheese, its architecture and the fine countryside around it. This is the home of the University of Parma, one of the oldest universities in the world....
in 1775. Opera buffa
Opera buffa
Opera buffa is a genre of opera. It was first used as an informal description of Italian comic operas variously classified by their authors as ‘commedia in musica’, ‘commedia per musica’, ‘dramma bernesco’, ‘dramma comico’, ‘divertimento giocoso' etc...
La vedova scaltra, considered his first contribution to musical theatre, was performed in 1774 at the Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
theatre "V kotcích". From 1774 to 1777 Righini worked in Prague, as a member of the theatre ensemble of Giuseppe Bustelli. He composed and staged operas to the libretti of N. Porta. At the end of 1777 he moved to Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, where he was engaged as a music teacher and composer. His comic operas were often performed in Burgtheater
Burgtheater
The Burgtheater , originally known as K.K. Theater an der Burg, then until 1918 as the K.K. Hofburgtheater, is the Austrian National Theatre in Vienna and one of the most important German language theatres in the world.The Burgtheater was created in 1741 and has become known as "die Burg" by the...
. In 1787 he replaced Antonio Salieri
Antonio Salieri
Antonio Salieri was a Venetian classical composer, conductor and teacher born in Legnago, south of Verona, in the Republic of Venice, but who spent his adult life and career as a faithful subject of the Habsburg monarchy....
as the court kapellmeister for a brief period, Salieri stayed in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
in that time. In 1787 he also moved to Mainz
Mainz
Mainz under the Holy Roman Empire, and previously was a Roman fort city which commanded the west bank of the Rhine and formed part of the northernmost frontier of the Roman Empire...
, where he became a court kapellmeister for the elector Friedrich Karl Joseph von Erthal
Friedrich Karl Joseph von Erthal
Friedrich Karl Joseph Reichsfreiherr von Erthal was prince-elector and archbishop of Mainz from 18 July 1774 to 4 July 1802, shortly before the end of the archbishopric in the Reichsdeputationshauptschluss....
. In March, 1793, he was appointed the Royal Prussian court kapellmeister and he led the operation of theatres in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
and Potsdam
Potsdam
Potsdam is the capital city of the German federal state of Brandenburg and part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. It is situated on the River Havel, southwest of Berlin city centre....
. He also composed grand operas for local theatres, often to the libretti of A. De'Filistri. He died in Bologna.
Works
Righini is a creator of the second opera to the theme of Don GiovanniDon Giovanni
Don Giovanni is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and with an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. It was premiered by the Prague Italian opera at the Teatro di Praga on October 29, 1787...
, composed for Prague stage. He is considered a skilful, but not very original composer, who often took advantage of invention of other composers. His Don Giovanni was performed in 1997 at the Dejvické divadlo in Prague, and in 2003 at the Městské divadlo in Brno.
Selected operas
- La vedova scaltra (1774)
- La bottegha del caffe osia Il maldicènte (1776)
- Il convitato di pietra osia Il dissoluto (1777)
- La merope
- Armida (1782)
- L'incontro inaspettato (1785)
- Il Demogorgone ovvero Il filosofo confuso (1786)
- Enea del Lazio (1793)
- Il trionfo d'Arianna (1793)
- Tigrane (1795)
- La selva incantata (1803)