A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Gnecco, Francesco

GNECCO, Francesco, according to Fétis, was born in 1769 at Genoa, became a pupil of Mariani, musical director of the Sistine Chapel and of the Cathedral of Savona, and died in 1810 at Milan. According to Regli and Paloschi, Gnecco was born in 1780, was a pupil of Cimarosa, and died in 1811 at Turin. Gnecco composed several operas, both serious and comic, of which two only, we believe, have ever been performed out of Italy, viz. 'Carolina e Filandro,' 1798, at the Italian Opera in the Salle Favart, Paris, Oct. 11, 1817 (Castil Blaze), and 'La Prova d'un opera seria,' opera buffa in 2 acts, libretto by the composer, produced at Milan 1805, and at the Salle Louvois, Paris, Sept. 4, 1806, with Signora Canavassi and Barilli. This last opera was a great success, and enjoyed considerable popularity. It was thrice revived in Paris, viz. in 1810, in 1831 with Malibran and Lablache; on Oct. 28, of the same year, with Pasta; and on Nov. 20 it was played with the first act of 'Tancredi' on the occasion of Malibran's last appearance in Paris. In 1834 it was reduced to one act. 'La Prova' was produced June 23, 1831, at the King's Theatre, with Pasta, Curioni, Lablache, and, thanks to the last-named singer, became popular. It was revived in one act July 3, 1854, with Lablache, Viardot-Garcia, Stigelli, and Ronconi, and was last produced on June 18 and 19, 1860, at Her Majesty's, for Ciampi, since which it has disappeared from the stage. A duet from it, 'Oh guardate che figura,' was highly popular in the concert-room when sung by Viardot and Tamburini, and on one occasion the former made it a vehicle for imitation of the latter's mannerisms, which the gentleman by no means took in good part. ('Musical Recollections,' Rev. J. E. Cox.)

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