(Jo-van’-e Bo-non-che’ne) 1670–1747
Italian composer

Bononcini came from a musical family in Modena; his father Giovanni Maria was the maestro di cappella of Modena Cathedral and his younger brother, Antonio Maria, was a talented cellist and composer. The younger Giovanni was also a cellist and studied music in Bologna. He worked in Milan, then Rome – where he wrote several operas – and Vienna, where he produced further operas as well as writing oratorios and cantatas. In 1719 he was invited to London to compose for the Royal Academy of Music, which had recently been set up under Handel’s direction. His Astarto was played during the 1720 season and for a time his operas offered serious rivalry to those of Handel. In 1727 he was exposed for passing off an opera by Antonio Lotti (c. 1667–1740) as his own. He left London shortly after, visiting Paris and Lisbon before going to Vienna, where he died in 1747.

Recommended Recording:
La nemica d’amore fatta amante, soloists, Ensemble 415 (dir) Chiara Banchini (Zig-Zag Territoires)

Introduction | Late Baroque | Classical
Personalities | Antonio Caldara | Late Baroque | Classical