- Carlo Coccia
Carlo Coccia (
14 April ,1782 ,Naples -13 April ,1873 ,Novare ) was an Italianopera composer . He was known for the genre ofopera semiseria .Life and career
Coccia studied in his native city with Casella, Fenarolli, and
Paisiello , who introduced him to KingJoseph Bonaparte for whom he became private musician. He wrote his first opera "Il matrimonio per lettera di cambio" in 1807, but it was a failure, however the followingyear, with the help of Paisiello, his second opera "Il poeta fortunato" was well received.He then moved to
Venice , where he concentrated on opera semiseria, of which "Clotilde" in 1815, is perhaps the best example. Accused of imitating other composers, and of producing too many uneven operas in great haste, and eventually eclipsed by the emergingRossini , he left forLisbon , where he remained from 1820 to 1823. He then settled inLondon in 1824, where he was conductor atHis Majesty's Theatre .In 1827, he wrote "Maria Stuarda" forGiuditta Pasta , which was successful.Back in Italy, he concentrated on opera seria, and obtained some success with "Caterina di Guisa", in 1833, but by then he had to compete with the likes of
Donizetti andBellini .He became
Maitre de chapelle in Novara, in 1837, and director of theMusic Conservatory ofTurin , where he wrote his last opera in 1841.Major works
*"Caterina di Guisa" (1833)
ources
"Le guide de l'opéra, les indispensables de la musique", R. Mancini & J-J. Rouveroux, (Fayard, 1986) ISBN 2-213-01563-6
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