Giovanni Battista Pergolesi (mar 1, 1710 – aug 1, 1736)
Description:
an Italian composer, violinist and organist. His best-known works include his Stabat Mater and the opera La serva padrona (The Maid Turned Mistress). His compositions include operas and sacred music. He died of tuberculosis at the age of 26.The “War of the Buffoons”—Giovanni Battista Pergolesi
1. Pergolesi’s La serva padrona is the prime example of the intermission play.
a. The characters sing according to their conventional roles.
b. Instead of a single affect, La serva padrona allows comic contrasts, which
foreshadows the need for contrast and balance associated with later music.
2. The arrival of La serva padrona in Paris created a debate between the natural style of
the comedy and the stilted tragedies lyriques. This controversy became known as the Querelle des Bouffons.
a. The Enlightenment writer Jean-Jacques Rousseau was involved in the debate,
favoring the natural style of the Italian comedies over his native French opera.
b. Rousseau linked the artificiality of French opera to issues of the court itself.
Added to timeline:
Date:
mar 1, 1710
aug 1, 1736
~ 26 years