Michele Stratico

Giuseppe Michele Stratico (Zadar, Croatia 31 July 1728^[1] - after 1782) was an Italian composer and violinist.

Biography

Michele Stratico was a violinist and amateur composer, a descendant of a noble Venetian family from the island of Candia (now Crete) and later was established in Zadar in 1669 after the Turkish inviasion. His brother Simon (1733-1824), was a physician and scientist known by Carlo Goldoni and Voltaire. After the rudiments of general education received in his native Zadar, he continued his studies at the University of Padua. Here was supported in particular by his uncle Antonio Stratico, literary translator of Greek into Italian, and amateur musician, and dean of the Collegio Cottonio.^[where?] Michael Stratico studied law from 1737 to 1745 and simultaneously received music lessons from the famous Giuseppe Tartini and Antonio Sberti. Later he became a violinist in the orchestra of the Basilica del Santo, where his qualities as a musician were noted by Giordano Riccati. Starting from 1758 he appears to have spent some time in Sangli, where from 1763 he was active as a vicar of the mayor locally. In the little town of Verona was able to focus their studies on music theory, especially deepened aspects of the axioms of mathematical and physical problems and intervals of dissonance and consonance. His signature appears in official documents until September 19, 1782: after this date there has been no news about him.

Considerations about the artist

Stratico wrote some 280 instrumental works, including more than 170 sonatas for violin and bass, six of which were published while he was still alive. His music is heavily influenced by Tartini especially the violin concertos. An examination of his music reveals that he was a composer, devoted to instrumental virtuosity, but "softened" by the stability of rhythmic, melodic and harmonic characteristic of the Baroque. His chamber works are considered along in the transition period between the late baroque and early classicism, the opening movements of these works anticipate the future in the sonata form.

Works

Instrumental compositions

• 6 sonatas for violin and cello / harpsichord, op.1 (1763, London)
• 170 sonatas for violin
• 35 symphonies
• 6 string quartets (concertina quartet)
• 50 approx.trio sonatas
• 15 duos for violin
• 61 violin concertos
• 2 Concertos for 2 violins

Theoretical Writings

• Treaty of music
• Tartini's The Spirit

References

1. ^ Minnie Elmer in Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart gives birthdate as 1721

• Mann, Francia Fitch, Michele Stratico: The Opus 1, Sei Sonate, and an edition of sonatas No. 2 and No. 6. (Volumes I and II), University of Nebraska - Lincoln
• V. and M. Duckles Elmer, Thematic Catalog of a Manuscript Collection of 18th-Century Italian Instrumental Music in the University of California (Berkeley, 1963)
• G. Riccati, G. Fiddler on the MemoriesTartini (1774), The Saint, vol.IX, pp.407-23 (1969)
• MT Roeder, Sonatas, Concertos and Symphonies of Michael Stratico (dissertation, University of California, Santa Barbara, 1971)
• M. Lindley, Michael Stratico Der Tartini-Schüler, Gesellschaft für Musikforschung Bayreuth , pp.336-70 (Kassel, 1981)
• Z. Blažekovic, Elements životopis za Josipa Mihovil Stratic, Zavod za Radovići povijesne znanosti Jugoslavenske Akademija znanosti i u umjetnosti Zadru, vol.XXXII, pp.109-38 (1990)
• S. Tuks, the Josip Giuseppe Tartini Mihovil Stratico, vol.XXVIII, pp.59-62 (1992)