A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Porpora, Niccola
PORPORA, Niccola,[1] or Niccolo, Antonio, composer and celebrated teacher of singing, was born at Naples August 19, 1686. His father, a bookseller with a numerous family, obtained admission for him at a very early age to the Conservatorio of S. M. di Loreto, where he received instruction from Gaetano Greco, of Venice, Padre Gaetano of Perugia, and Francesco Mancini, all former pupils of the same school. His first opera was 'Basilio, re di Oriente,' written for the theatre 'de' Fiorentini.' On the title-page of this work he styles himself 'chapel-master to the Portuguese Ambassador.' The opera of 'Berenice,' written in 1710 for the Capranica theatre at Rome, attracted the notice and elicited the commendation of Handel. It was followed by 'Flavio Anicio Olibrio' (1711); by several masses, motets and other compositions for the church; by 'Faramondo' (1719) and 'Eumene' (1721), on the title-page of which last work he calls himself 'Virtuoso to the Prince of Hesse Darmstadt.' Having been appointed master of the Conservatorio of San Onofrio, he wrote for it an oratorio, 'La Martiria di Santa Eugenia,' which had much success on its first performance there in 1722. In 1723 he wrote for the wedding of Prince Montemiletto a cantata, in which Farinelli sang. He had, before this time, established the school for singing whence issued those wonderful pupils who have made their master's name famous. After 'L'Imeneo' came 'Amare per regnare' and 'Semiramide' (according to Villarosa); and a MS. in the Conservatoire of Paris gives evidence of another opera, 'Adelaida,' belonging to 1723 and performed at Rome. In 1724 Hasse arrived at Naples, with the avowed intention of becoming Porpora's pupil. After a short trial however he deserted this master in favour of Alessandro Scarlatti, a slight which Porpora never forgave, and for which, in later years, he had abundant opportunity of revenging himself on Hasse. [See Hasse.]
Porpora's natural gifts were united to an extremely restless, changeable disposition. He seems never to have remained very long in one place, and the dates of many events in his life are uncertain. It appears that in 1725 he set off for Vienna, but he must have stopped at Venice on his way, as there is evidence to show that he was appointed to the mastership of one of the four great singing-schools for girls there, that of 'La Pietà.' He hoped to get a hearing for some of his music at Vienna, but the Emperor Charles VI. disliked his florid style and profuse employment of vocal ornament, and gave him no encouragement to remain. He therefore returned as far as Venice, where he produced his opera 'Siface,' and was appointed master to another of the schools above mentioned, that of the 'In curabili.' For his pupils at this institution he wrote the vocal cantatas, twelve of which he published in London in 1735, and which are among his best compositions.
In 1728 he set out for Dresden, where the Electoral Princess, Marie Antoinette, was eager to receive instruction from the famous maestro. On the way thither he revisited Vienna, hoping for a chance of effacing the unfavourable impression he had formerly made; but the Emperor's prejudice against him was so strong, and carried so much weight, as to make it seem probable that he would once more find nothing to do. He found a friend, however, in the Venetian ambassador, who not only received him under his own roof, but succeeded in obtaining for him an Imperial commission to write an oratorio, accompanied by a hint to be sparing in the use of trills and flourishes. Accordingly, when the Emperor came to hear the work rehearsed, he was charmed at finding it quite simple and unadorned in style. Only at the end a little surprise was reserved for him. The theme of the concluding fugue commenced by four ascending notes, with a trill on each. The trange effect of this series of trills was increased each part entered, and in the final stretto became farcical outright. The Emperor's gravity could not stand it, he laughed convulsively, but forgave the audacious composer and paid him well for his work. The name of this oratorio is lost.
Porpora was warmly received at Dresden, where he was specially patronised by his pupil, the Electoral Princess, to whom he taught not only singing, but composition. So it happened that when Hasse, with his wife Faustina, appeared on the scene in 1730, he found his old master, who had never forgiven his pupil's defection, in possession of the field. A great rivalry ensued, the public being divided between the two maestri, who themselves lost no opportunity of exchanging offices anything but friendly. The erratic Porpora however did not by any means spend his hole time in the Saxon capital. Early in 1729 he had produced 'Semiramide riconosciuta' at Venice, and in April of the same year had obtained leave of absence in order to go to London, there to undertake the direction of the opera-house established by an aristocratic clique in opposition to that presided over by Handel. The speculation was a failure, and both houses suffered serious losses. Porpora never was popular in England as a composer, and even the nee of Senesino among his company failed ensure its success, until, during a sojourn in Dresden, he succeeded in engaging the great Farinelli, who appeared in London in 1734, with Senesino and Signora Cuzzoni, and saved the house. Porpora got his Dresden engagement cancelled in order to remain in London, but that he must have paid several visits to Venice is certain, as 'Annibale' was produced there by him in 1731, and 'Mitridate' was written there in 1733. It seems that he finally quitted England in 1736, at the end of Farinelli's third and last season in that country, and that he established himself again at Venice; for on the title-page of a MS. in the Conservatoire at Paris dated 1744, he is described as director of the 'Ospedaletto' school of music there. About 1745 he once more went to Vienna, this time in the suite of the Venetian ambassador, Correr. During a sojourn there of some years he published a set of twelve sonatas for violin, with figured bass, one of his most esteemed compositions, of which he says in the dedicatory epistle that they are written 'in the diatonic, chromatic and enharmonic styles'; describing himself as now chapelmaster to the King of Poland. At this time he became acquainted with the young Haydn, whom he helped with instruction and advice. [See vol. i. p. 704b.]
He returned to Naples, his native town, between 1755 and 1760. Gazzaniga, his pupil, in a biographical notice, says it was in 1759, and that in 1760 he succeeded Abos in the chapel-mastership of the cathedral of Naples and of the Conservatorio of San Onofrio. In the same year his last opera 'Camilla' was represented, with no success. After that he wrote nothing but one or two pieces for the Church. He had outlived his reputation as a composer. His latest years were passed in extreme indigence, a fact hard to reconcile with that of his holding the double appointment named above, but which is vouched for by contemporary writers, and by Villarosa, and is a disgrace to the memory of his pupils, especially Farinelli and Caffarelli, who owed their fame and their vast wealth in great measure to his instructions. Villarosa says that he died of pleurisy in 1767: Gazzaniga affirms that his death was the result of an injury to his leg in 1766. Both may be true: it is at least certain that a subscription was raised among the musicians of the town to defray the expenses of the poor old maestro's burial.
Thirty-three operas of Porpora's are mentioned by Florimo, but he probably wrote many more. They may have been popular with singers as showing off what was possible in the way of execution, but he was devoid of dramatic genius in composition. Nothing can be more tedious than to read through an opera of his, where one conventional, florid air succeeds another, often with no change of key and with little change of time; here and there a stray chorus of the most meagre description. When not writing for the stage he achieved better things. His cantatas for a single voice, twelve of which were published in London in 1735 have merit, and elevation of style, and the same is asserted of the sonatas published at Vienna, for violin, with bass. The 'six free fugues' for clavichord (first published by Clementi in his 'Practical Harmony,' afterwards by M. Farrenc, in the first number of the 'Trésor des Pianistes') will repay attention on the part of the modern student. There is a freshness and piquancy about them which contrasts strangely with his operas, and give an idea of what the talent was that so impressed his contemporaries. Specimens of his violin music will be found in Choron's 'Principes,' David's 'Hoheschule,' and Alard's 'Maîtres classiques'; and 6 Latin duets on the Passion, and some Solfeggi, were edited by Nava and published by Breitkopfs.
Porpora was well educated, and conversant with Latin and Italian literature; he wrote verses with success, and spoke with ease the French, German, and English languages. In his youth he was bold, spirited, and gay, full of wit and vivacity, but in age his disposition and temper became soured by misfortune. He was celebrated for his power of repartee. The following anecdote, extracted from the 'Dictionary of Musicians,' has been told of other people since his time, but seems to be true of him:—'Passing one day through an abbey in Germany, the monks requested him to assist at their office, in order to hear their organist, whose talents they greatly extolled. The office finished, Well, what think you of our organist? said the prior. Why, replied Porpora, he is a clever man. And likewise, interrupted the prior, a good and charitable man, and his simplicity is really evangelical. Oh! as for his simplicity, replied Porpora, I perceived that; for his left hand knoweth not what his right hand doeth.'
In one department he has earned for himself an unique and lasting fame. He was the greatest singing-master that ever lived. No singers, before or since, have sung like his pupils. This is made certain by the universal contemporary testimony as to their powers, by the music which was written for them and which they performed, and by the fact that such relics of a grand pure style of vocalisation as remain to us now, have been handed down in direct succession from these artists. He has left us no written account of his manner of teaching, and such solfeggi of his as we possess differ only from those of his contemporaries by being perhaps more exclusively directed than others are towards the development of flexibility in the vocal organ. In musical interest they are inferior to those of Scarlatti and Leo, and to some of those of Hasse. There is little difference between them and his songs, which are for the most part only so many solfeggi. The probability is that he had no peculiar method of his own, but that he was one of those artists whose grand secret lies in their own personality. To a profound knowledge of the human voice in its every peculiarity, and an intuitive sympathy with singers, he must have united that innate capacity of imposing his own will on others which is a form of genius. Powerful indeed must have been the influence that could keep a singer (as he is said to have kept Caffarelli) for five years to one sheet of exercises. And if we are inclined to think that when Caffarelli was dismissed with the words 'You may go, you are the greatest singer in Europe,' there must still have been a good deal for him to learn which that sheet of exercises could not teach him, still, no mechanical difficulty then stood between him and the acquisition of these qualities; the instrument was perfect. And the best proof of this is that when Charles VI. expressed to Farinelli his regret that so consummate a vocalist should devote himself entirely to exhibitions of skill and bravura, and Farinelli, struck by the truth of the criticism, resolved to appeal more to emotion and less to mere admiration, the vocal instrument proved adequate to the new demand made upon it, and its possessor 'became the most pathetic, as he had been the most brilliant of singers.'
Porpora himself aspired to be remembered by his compositions rather than by the solid work which has immortalised his name. To be useful to others was a lot not brilliant enough to satisfy his restless ambition, and that in this usefulness lay his real genius was a truth he never could willingly accept.
Lists of his works are to be found in Villarosa's notice of his life, and in those by Farrenc (Trésor des Pianistes, i.) and Fétis. Probably the most complete is that given in Florimo's 'Cenno storico sulla Scula di Napoli,' 1869, pp. 376–80.
- ↑ In his autographs Niccola, but on the title-pages of works published by himself, and in contemporary MS. copies, Niccolo.