Cataldo Vito Amodei (6 May 1649 – 13 July 1693) was an Italian composer of the mid-Baroque period who spent his career inNaples. Hiscantatas were important predecessors to the active cantata production of 18th-century Naples, and he stands with the elderFrancesco Provenzale and youngerAlessandro Scarlatti as among the principal Italian cantata composers. Other surviving works include a book of motets dedicated toLeopold I, Holy Roman Emperor; aserenata; twopastorales; twopsalms; and fouroratorios, which were important contributions to their genre.
Amodei held posts at various musical institutions,maestro del coro (choirmaster) atSan Paolo Maggiore and two prestigious conservatories: theConservatorio di Sant'Onofrio a Porta Capuana [it] (1680/81–1688) and second choirmaster atConservatorio Santa Maria di Loreto [it] (1687–1689). Hisvirtuosic 1685 book of cantatas,Cantate, Op. 2, was the first book of cantatas published in Naples.
Cataldo Amodei was born inSciacca,Sicily, nearAgrigento;[1] at the time, Sciacca had a reputation for producing important Sicilian musicians.[2] In 2003, themusicologist Domenico Antonio D'Alessandro identified Amodei with a "Cathaldus Vitus" ("Cataldo Vito"), born in 6 May 1649 and baptized the same day at St. Mary Magdalene, Sciacca.[2][n 1] Accordingly, Amodei's full name was Cataldo Vito Amodei, and he was the last of six children to Gaspare and Antonia, with Antonio de Facio and Francesa Nicolosi as his godparents.[2] His family probably consisted of mostlymerchants ofGenoese origin.[2] The priest Bonaventura Sanfilippo-Galiotto records in hisSacrum Xacca Theatrum (1710) that Amodei studied with the Maestro di Cappela in Sciacca and violinist Don Accursius Giuffrida; Amodei was purportedly his most talented pupil.[4] The priest Vincenzo Farnia wrote in his 1897Biografie di uomini illustri nati a Sciacca (Biographies of illustrious men born in Sciacca) that Amodei went toNaples "for the honor that the city is accorded by all the nations as being the mistress of melody" in 1669–70.[4] However, records indicate that Amodei was still in Sciacca; he is first recorded in Naples in 1679, though he may have arrived there between 1670 and 1679.[4]
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In Naples, Amodei was ordained a priest and presumably completed his musical education, the details of which are not extant.[4] In March 1680, Amodei succeededFilippo Coppola asmaestro di cappella (choirmaster) of theTheatine churchSan Paolo Maggiore.[5][n 2] In particular, Amodei worked for San Paolo Maggiore until his death, regularly making and performing music;[6] for their services he wrote at least fourontarios:L'innocenza infetta dal pomo,Il flagello dell'empietà,La Susanna andIl Giosuè vittorioso.[7] According to Sanfilippo-Galiotto, by at least 1685 he gained an additional post ofmaestro di cappella at theDominican Collegio di SanTommaso d'Aquino.[8] D'Alessandro notes that records indicate Amodei was actively involved in the music of San Paolo Maggiore, while it remains uncertain whether his other ecclesiastical appointments were occasional or regular.[6] At the church, aPastorale by Amodei was performed for Christmas 1688, which may be the survivingPastorale per la novena del Signore for four voices.[9]
In 1680/81,[n 3] Amodei succeededPietro Andrea Ziani asmaestro di cappella at theConservatorio di Sant'Onofrio a Porta Capuana [it],[1][9] one of four major musical institutions of the city.[10][n 4] He received the additional position of secondmaestro di cappella at theConservatorio Santa Maria di Loreto [it]—another of the major institutions—on 14 September 1687.[1][10] This post was to assist the primarymaestro di cappellaNicola Acerbo [de], who was finding difficulty in teaching over a hundred students alone.[11] Instructing the students inharpsichord and voice,[n 5] the governors raised his pay to aducat over even Acerbo, perhaps in light of his renown as a musician.[11] Upon his obtainment of the Loreto post, governors' records praise Amodei, declaring him "one of the outstanding personalities of the city".[1][n 6] Amodei left his position at Sant'Onofrio in 1688 and was succeeded byCristoforo Caresana—D'Alessandro suggested that he was exhausted from a year of two simultaneous conservatory positions.[9] The February of the following year,[12] he resigned from his post at Santa Maria di Loreto, reportedly "because of his many commitments", and was succeeded there byAlessandro Scarlatti.[11]
Amodei was known as a colleague ofFrancesco Provenzale,[13] who is often considered the founder of theNeapolitan School,[14] and was probably acquainted with A. Scarlatti.[12] After his time at the conservatories he may have offered private lessons; it is unclear if his student Francesco Bajada was from a conservatory or private pupil.[12]Francesco Solimena painted thesacristy of San Paolo Maggiore [it] throughout 1690, during which Amodei prepared music for the Feast ofSaint Gaetano there.[12] He presumably assisted with the music for subsequent feasts at San Paolo Maggiore, including the Feast Day for the Madonna of Purity (8 September) andAndrew Avellino (10 November).[12][n 7] On 13 July 1693, Amodei died in Naples.[15] The city newspaper reported on this the following day: "Yesterday, to universal mourning, the famous Maestro di Cappella of san Paolo, Sig D. Cataldo Omodei [sic] passed away. He was a fine exponent of his profession."[15] The historian Bonaventura Sanfilippo-Galiotto described Amodei as:
"Cataldo Amodei, the most excellent Maestro di Cappella of San Paolo Maggiore of the Order of Regular Clerics in the City of Naples, and of the Collegio di San Tommaso d'Aquino of the Dominican Fathers and of the Royal Conservatory of Sant'Onofrio who wrote an infinite number of compositions"
— Bonaventura Sanfilippo-Galiotto, 1710, chapter 27 ofSacrum Xacca Theatrum[8]
Amodei's compositions consist oforatorios,motets andcantatas.[1] Almost all of Amodei's works were published in Naples,[16] usually being printed byNovello De Bonis[17] and their "stampator arcivescovile" ("archiepiscopal printer").[13] Novello De Bonis's editions of music by Amodei show them—like Mascardi in Rome—attempting to use a three-systems layout to fit moremusical notation per page.[17]
Amodei set text byAndrea Perrucci [it] twice; first for the 1686oratorioLa Susanna[18] and later for 1692serenataLa sirena consolata.[19] MusicologistDinko Fabris noted that both Amodei and Perrucci were Sicilians who moved to Naples.[13]
18th-century Naples was an active site of cantata production, first with composers such as A. Scarlatti,Francesco Mancini andDomenico Sarro.[16] Amodei's cantatas were the most significant predecessor to this.[16] Amodei stands with the elder Provenzale and younger A. Scarlatti as among the principal Italian composers of cantatas.[3] His book of 1685 cantatas,Cantate Op. 2, is the earliest book of cantatas to be printed in Naples;[16] the next single cantata was Antion del Ricco'sUrania armonica. Cantate a voce sola, Op. 1 of 1686[20] and the next book wasPergolesi'sQuattro cantate da camera of around 1736.[16] The work's full title isCantate a voce sola, libro primo, opera seconda, di Cataldo Amodei, maestro di cappella di San Paolo Maggiore de' molto reverendi Padri Teatini, del Collegio di San Tomaso d'Aquino de' molto reverendi Padri Domenicani, d del Real Conservatorio di S. Honofrio di Napoli.[13] Unlike earlier Italian cantatas such as the anonymousSquarciato appena havea and L'amante impazzito con altre Cantate, e Serenate a solo, et a due con violini (1679) by Milanese composerSimone Coya [de], Amodei'sCantate are particularlyvirtuosic and do not conform to the earlier Italian archetype of ironically setting popular tunes to serious subjects.[13] MusicologistAlfred Einstein favorably compared Amodei's cantata "L'interesse" from the Op. 2 toRichard Wagner'sDer Ring des Nibelungen.[21] Einstein explained:
"This is, in a way, a distant ancestor of Wagner'sRing. Both embody revolt against capitalism. Amodei's horrible representation of Interest foreshadows the giantFafner who 'sits in possession:' only instead of Wagner's redemption through love, he invites us piously to raise our eyes to heaven. The music has a distinct expressive value."[21]
Amodei's fouroratorios,L'innocenza infetta dal pomo,Il flagello dell'empietà,La Susanna andIl Giosuè vittorioso are important works in establishing the form and content of Italian oratorios.[7] Described by musicologists Rosa Cafiero and Marina Marino as "rather homogeneous" ("piuttosto omogeneo)", the works were all written for San Paolo Maggiore and share subject matter and musical form.[22] They are thus exemplary to the Italian oratorio's increasing tendency to have its subject matter, structure, patronage and performance aligned.[22]
During the beginning of the 17th century, librettists were typically more prominent than composers, with the latter more likely to be anonymous.[23] Only one of the oratorios—La Susanna—has a librettist listed (Perrucci), suggesting a switch in the dominance of composers and librettists.[7]
Primo libro de' mottetti (First Book of Motets; 1679), hisOp. 1motets for 2–5 voices, was dedicated toLeopold I, Holy Roman Emperor.[1] The motet's 1679 publication was the first published music in Naples since a 1645–1653 series of variousfirst editions andreprints by composers such asBartolomeo Cappello,Giovanni Salvatore and Francesco Vannarelli.[24]
| Title | Year | Genre | Occasion[7] | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primo libro de' mottetti, op. 1 (First Book of Motets) | 1679 | Motet (2–5 voices) | Dedicated toLeopold I, Holy Roman Emperor | – |
| Cantate, libro primo, op. 2[n 8] (Cantatas, First Book) | 1685 | Cantata (1 voice) | – | – |
| L'innocenza infetta dal pomo (Innocence Infects the Apple) | 1685 | Oratorio (2 voices)[7] | ForSan Paolo Maggiore | Based onOriginal Sin[18] |
| Il flagello dell'empietà (The Scourge of Wickedness) | 1685 | Oratorio (1 voice)[7] | ForSan Paolo Maggiore | – |
| La Susanna (The Susanna) | 1686 | Oratorio | ForSan Paolo Maggiore | Based onSusanna and the Elders[18] Text fromAndrea Perrucci [it] and Fardella[18] |
| Il Giosuè vittorioso (The Victorious Joshua) | 1687[25] | Oratorio (1 voice)[25] | ForSan Paolo Maggiore Pentecost[25] | Music lost[n 9] Libretto survived Printed by Carlo Porsile[25] |
| Il trionfo della purità di Maria (The Triumph of Mary's Purity) | 1687/88[n 10] | "Componimento per musica"[26] (4 voices)[26] | – | Manuscript at theBiblioteca Nazionale Vittorio Emanuele III[26] |
| La sirena consolata[n 11] (The Consoled Siren) | 1692 | Serenata | – | Lost Text fromAndrea Perrucci [it] |
| Pastorale[9] | 1688 | Pastorale | Christmas 1686–1890 | ? |
| Pastorale per la novena del Signore[27][9][n 12] | ? | Pastorale (4 voices) | ? | Set to the "Rorate caeli" text Acomp. two violins and organbasso continuo |
| Confitebor tibi Domine[27][9] | ? | Psalm | ? | Acomp. two violins and organbasso continuo |
| Laetaus sum[27][9] | ? | Psalm | ? | Acomp. two violins and organbasso continuo |
Amodei's works are included in the following collections:
Numerous cantatas by Amodei were recorded inCataldo Amodei: Cantatas (2004) by sopranoEmma Kirkby, lutenistJakob Lindberg and harpsichordistLars Ulrik Mortensen.[28][29] Three of these recordings were rereleased inThe Artistry of Emma Kirkby (2009).[30]
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| Preceded by | Choirmaster of the San Paolo Maggiore 1680/81–1688 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Choirmaster of theConservatorio di Sant'Onofrio a Porta Capuana [it] 1681–1688 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Choirmaster of theConservatorio Santa Maria di Loreto [it] 14 September 1687 – 1689 | Succeeded by |
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