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• Personalities
• Classical
• Composer
• Late Baroque

(To-ma’-zo Al-be-no’-ne) 1671–1751 Italian composer Albinoni considered himself a dilettante, depending for a living neither on the success of his com­positions nor on his ability as a performer. Although he was a prolific composer of operas, several of which were performed outside Italy, Albinoni is recognized chiefly for his concertos, the first of which (op. 2, 1700) ...

• Personalities
• Late Baroque
• Opera

1669–1750, Italian The Venetian librettist Zeno was a librarian and historian, who sought to establish opera libretti as a recognized literary form. His first opera libretto, Lucio Vero, was a huge success at Venice in 1695. Zeno continued to write more libretti, although he had reservations about it affecting his scholarly credibility. In 1718, Zeno ...

• Personalities
• Classical
• Composer
• Early Baroque

(Joo-sep’-pe Tô-rel’-le) 1658–1709 Italian composer Torelli was born in Verona, but moved to Bologna in the early 1680s where, like Corelli, he became a member of the Accademia dei Filarmonici. He was a violin virtuoso and teacher who studied with Giacomo Antonio Perti (1661–1756) in Bologna. There he joined the orchestra of S Petronio. He travelled to Germany and ...

• Personalities
• Late Baroque
• Opera

1697–1781, Italian Venetian mezzo-soprano Faustina Bordoni was brought up by the composers Alessandro (1669–1750) and Benedetto Marcello (1686–1739). She made her debut in Pollarolo’s Ariodante in 1716, and was based in her home city until 1725, singing in operas by her teacher Gasparini, as well as Albinoni and Lotti. Between 1726 and 1728, she performed in ...