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Piccinni Niccolò
Beethoven, Ludwig van
Cambini, Giovanni Giuseppe
Campagnoli, Bartolomeo
Devienne, François
Gluck, Christoph Willibald
Gossec, Francois-Joseph
Graf, Friedrich Hartmann
Grétry, André Ernest Modeste
Hartmann, Johan Peter
Haydn, Franz Joseph
Haydn, Johann Michael
Hoffmeister, Franz Anton
Hugot, Antoine
Hummel, Johann Nepomuk
Jadin, Louis-Emmanuel
Lebrun, Ludwig August
Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus
Müller, August Eberhard
Nicolai, Johann Gottlieb
Piccinni, Niccolò
Pleyel, Ignace Joseph
Rault, Felix
Reicha, Josef
Romberg, Bernhard
Rosetti, Francesco Antonio
Schwindel, Friedrich
Stamitz, Anton
Stamitz, Carl Philipp
Wagenseil, Georg Christoph
Wendling, Johann Baptist
Wunderlich, Johann Georg
Concerto for flute and orchestra in D Major
Concerto for flute and orchestra in D Major
Niccolò Piccinni: Concerto for flute and orchestra in D Major was written around the late 1760s or early 1770s, during his time in Naples, before he moved to Paris. The first modern edition/print was made in 1981, edited by H. C. Robbins Landon. This modern edition suggests the time coverage of the original work as being around 1769.
In the late 1760s and early 1770s, Piccinni was at the peak of his career as an opera composer in Naples, where he dominated the stage. He was one of the most popular and prolific composers of opera buffa of the Classical period. This flute concerto is one of his few non-operatic instrumental works and reflects his preference for clear, lyrical melodies and light, non-overpowering accompaniments, which he championed over the "excessive instrumentation" that was becoming fashionable in his era.
Piccinni Niccolò
Niccolò Piccinni (1728–1800) was an Italian composer of the Classical era, one of the most prolific and popular opera composers of his time. He was a central figure in the fierce rivalry that defined Parisian musical life in the late 1770s.
Born in Bari, Kingdom of Naples, in 1728, Piccinni received his musical education at the Conservatorio di San Onofrio, where he studied under composers such as Leonardo Leo and Francesco Durante.
Piccinni quickly rose to prominence as the dominant figure in Neapolitan opera. By the late 1760s, he had composed numerous operas, including his highly successful La buona figliuola (The Good Girl, 1760), which made him famous throughout Europe.
In 1776, at the invitation of Queen Marie Antoinette, he moved to Paris to compose for the French stage. This move sparked one of the most famous rivalries in music history: the "Gluck-Piccinni Controversy". Parisian society and critics divided into two factions, one supporting the German opera reformer Christoph Willibald Gluck (who advocated for drama over pure vocal beauty) and the other supporting Piccinni's more traditional, melodically driven Italian style. While the rivalry was intense, the two composers remained personally respectful of each other. Piccinni adapted his style to French tastes, composing successful operas like Didon (1783).
Piccinni composed over 100 operas, along with oratorios, sacred music, and a few instrumental works like his Flute Concerto in D Major. His music is characteristic of the galant style.