The intermezzo La serva padrona, composed by Giovanni Battista Pergolesi, served as the primary catalyst for the Querelle des Bouffons in Paris during 1752. This artistic conflict highlighted the aesthetic divide between traditional French lyric tragedy and the burgeoning Italian comic opera style, effectively establishing the composer as a pivotal figure in European musical history.
Early Training and Naples
Born in 1710 in Jesi, within the Papal States, the composer was originally named Giovanni Battista Draghi. He adopted the surname Pergolesi as a reference to his ancestors' place of origin, Pergola. His foundational musical studies occurred in Jesi under Francesco Santi. By 1725, he relocated to Naples, where he received instruction from figures including Gaetano Greco and Francesco Feo. He completed his conservatory studies in 1731.
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Following his formal education, he gained professional recognition through the performance of his two-part oratorio La fenice sul rogo, o vero La morte di San Giuseppe and his dramma sacro Li prodigi della divina grazia. During his short career, he operated under the patronage of noblemen such as Ferdinando Colonna, Prince of Stigliano, and Domenico Marzio Carafa, Duke of Maddaloni. His theatrical catalog includes ten works, ranging from his first opera seria, La Salustia, to comic pieces like Lo frate 'nnamorato and Il Flaminio.
Sacred Music and Late Works
Among his religious compositions, the 1736 Stabat Mater stands as his most significant contribution to the repertoire. Commissioned by the Confraternita dei Cavalieri di San Luigi di Palazzo, the work was designed for soprano, alto, string orchestra, and basso continuo. It replaced an earlier setting by Alessandro Scarlatti for Good Friday services. His output also included a Mass in F and three settings of Salve Regina, alongside secular instrumental pieces like a violin concerto and sonata.
Death and Posthumous Reputation
Pergolesi died of tuberculosis in Pozzuoli in March 1736 at age 26 and was interred at a Franciscan monastery. Despite his limited recognition outside of Naples and Rome during his life, his works saw widespread dissemination posthumously. This led to an accumulation of misattributed compositions, with modern scholars identifying only about thirty authentic works out of over three hundred once claimed as his. His life served as the basis for the 1932 film Pergolesi, directed by Guido Brignone.
Fast facts
- Born: 1710, Jesi
- Died: 1736, Pozzuoli
- Citizenship: Papal States
- Occupations: composer, organist, violinist
- Key Opera: La serva padrona
- Stabat Mater completion: 1736
- Cause of death: Tuberculosis
Questions readers ask
Why was there a conflict over his music in Paris?
The 1752 performance of his opera buffa La serva padrona triggered the Querelle des Bouffons, a debate pitting his style against traditional French opera.
Are all works attributed to him authentic?
No, over three hundred works were falsely attributed to him after his death, with modern critics authenticating only about thirty.
Achievements
- Instruments: organ
- Genres: opera
