Download Lecture Italian Composers

ItalianComposersandFreemasonry:Pointsofresearchandfurtherstudy
byGiorgioB.
th
[lecturepresentedduringthemeetingofLodgeSantaCecilia180heldinRome28 September2013]
In the century between the constitution of the Grand Lodge of England (1717) and the
Restoration(CongressofVienna,1814)morethanadozenItaliancomposersjoinedFreemasonry.
Almostallofthemlivedandworkedawayfromtheirhomelandsothereisoftenconfusionover
their biographies and true nationality. Paris, London and Vienna, as well as Berlin and Moscow,
werethemajorEuropeancapitalswhichreceivedthesegreatartists.
Apart from the composition, most of them had developed an exceptional technique in the
instrumentalplayingoftheviolin,thepiano,theflute,andhadfoundinagreatstimulusfortheir
activitywithinFreemasonryatthetime.AlmostsimultaneouslyinLondonandParis,promotions
of Chamber Music arose within the brotherhood as a contrast to Opera, for its high costs
inevitably linked to the monarchy and to religious music, the exclusive preserve of the church.
Notonlythat,itisintheformoftheduo,trio,quartetandquintetthatthosevaluesofbeautyand
perfection supported by freemasonry were expressed at their best: not to mention, the almost
symbiotic relationship which is established within a small chamber group that can be rightly
comparedtothesentimentsofbrotherhoodwithinaLodge.
On 18 February 1725, brethren from the Queen's Head Lodge in London founded the Societas
Philomusicae et architecturae Apollinis (The Apollo Society for the Lovers of Music and
Architecture)LodgebasedinHollisStreet,closetoOxfordSquare.Theofficeofperpetualdictator
is taken on by Xaverio Francesco Geminiani (Lucca 1687 - Dublin 1762) a Tuscan violinist and
composerwhoarrivedinLondonin1714andwasthefirstItaliantobeinitiatedintoFreemasonry
on 1 February 1725 in the Queen's Head Lodge. Under the protection of Apollo, these modern
buildersofharmoniesgatheredtogetherandmaintainedastrongbondwiththeancientbuilders
of cathedrals. The Company proposed concerts of chamber music in the new form of
subscriptions which was a great success and is still today the main source of income for the
concerthallsandoperahouses.
The Lodge Minute Book of the Philomusicae Lodge from its foundation until 23rd March 1727 is
stillkeptandanarticleintheEarlyMusicmagazinein2010analysedtheactivityandfateofthis
associationindetail.1Geminianiwasahighlyesteemedviolinistandhissonatasandhisconcerts
arestillpartoftheviolinrepertoire.In1732wefindthismanfromLuccainPariswhereheplayed
in 16 concerts for the Concert Spirituel, a concert company created within the French Masonic
world which promoted its musical activity during the period of Lent and on Religious Holidays
whentheOpéraandtheothertheatresofmelodramawereclosed.
In 1754 another Italian violinist, Gaetano Pugnani (Turin 1731 - Turin 1798) performed at the
ConcertSpirituel.ApupiloftherenownedGiuseppeTartinihearrivedinParisforatournéeasa
virtuoso.HisrelationshipwithFreemasonryiscertain,inthatheisquotedin1768andin1771in
1
A.Pink,“Amusicclubforfreemasons:PhilomusicaeetarchitecturaesocietasApollinis,London,1725-1727”inEarly
Music,n°38,2010.
therecordsoftheSaintJeandelaMysterieuseLodgeinTurin.ThisLodgewasfoundedin1765by
the Savoyard Lodge Saint Jean des trois Mortiers which met in Chambery. Between 1767 and
1770, Pugnani went to London several times and he came into contact with the best-known of
Bach'ssons,JohannChristianandwithFeliceGiardini(Turin1716–Moscow1796)bothlinkedto
FreemasonryinLondon.Apartfromtheseimportanttrips,heremainedcloselyattachedtothe
cityofTurinwherehefirstheldthepositionofFirstViolinattheKing’sChapelandlateritsMusical
Director.
Thecompositionwhichshows,mostofall,thestrongbondbetweenPugnaniandFreemasonryis
undoubtedlythemelodramaintwopartsentitledWerther,believedtohavebeenlost2untilthe
1880s,butfortunatelyfoundinthearchivesoftheGesellschaftderMusikfreundeinVienna.The
piece of work sets to music two episodes taken from the famous novel of Brother Johann
WolfgangvonGoethe,TheSorrowsofYoungWerther.ThereputationofthiscomposerfromTurin
today is due, however, from a transcript that another great violinist, the Austrian Fritz Kreisler
(1875-1962)madewiththecelebrated"PreludeandAllegrointhestyleofPugnani"forViolinand
Piano.
ThepreviouslymentionedFeliceGiardiniisindicatedasacandidateforInitiationintheMinutesof
theLondonLodge,TheNineMuses,dated12thMarch1778.Foundedin1777,theLodgeprobably
wished to emulate the Parisian Les Neuf Soeurs constituted the year before. Giardini was a
violinistandcomposerandduringthethirtyyearshestayedinLondonwashighlyappreciatedbut
averydifferentwelcomewasreceivedinRussiawherehediedinextremepoverty.
It is in the Lodge Les Neuf Soeurs that Nicolò Piccinni (Bari 1728 - Parigi 1800) was initiated in
1777. This Lodge too, which was founded in 1776 by the astronomer Jérôme de Lalande, had
among its aims the promotion of Chamber Music. It played a large part in the events of the
American War of Independence, having amongst its Masters the renowned Benjamin Franklin.
Piccinniwasafamousoperacomposerandisrememberedinthehistoryofmusicasopposedto
Gluckwhoisascribedforthereformofmodernmelodrama.BelovedbyQueenMarieAntoinette,
hewasDirectoroftheItalianCompanyatl’OpérainParisandisjustlyconsideredonethegreatest
Italianoperacomposersoftheeighteenthcentury.
AnotherLodgeintheFrenchcapital,OlympiquedelaParfaiteEstime,wasinchargeofpromoting
theconcertsandformedin1781theSociétéOlympique,whichby1786numbered438members
andevenanorchestraof52musicians.ItisthisCompanythatmakesknowntotheFrenchpublic
another great Italian violinist, Giovan Battista Viotti (Fontanetto Po 1755 - Londra 1824) from
Vercelli,whowasapupilofPugnani.AViolinistattheRoyalChapelofTurin,hetouredEurope
followinghisteacher,butwhentheycomebacktoPiedmont,ViottidecidestomovetoParisand
thentoLondonwherehetookrefugeduringtheFrenchRevolution.
In1783heisattributedasamemberoftheParisianLodgeSaintJeand’EcosseduContratSocial
foundedin1766;in1786ViottiisregisteredintheLodgeOlympiquedelaParfaiteEstime.
2
A.Basso,“MusicistimassoniinPiemontenell’etànapoleonica”,inLibertàemodernizzazione.MassoniinItalia
nell’etànapoleonica,Roma1996
Viottiisrememberedaboveallforthe29ConcertosforViolinandOrchestra,inwhichheshowsa
masterlymanagementofthetimbralcapabilityofthevariousinstrumentsaswellasthevirtuosity
andlyricismofthesoloinstrument.
In London he intensifies his relationship with Freemasonry until founding in 1813 the London
PhilharmonicSociety,alongwithanothermusicianandItalianFreemason,MuzioClementi.Even
in this case it was treated as a Company for promoting Music, equipped with an orchestra and
destinedtobecomeoneoftheleadingculturalinstitutionsintheUnitedKingdomunderthenew
nameoftheRoyalPhilharmonicSociety.Thefirstconcertorganizedbythiscompanywasheldon
8thMarch1813withMuzioClementiatthepianoandNicolasMorionViolin;performingmusicby
HaydnandBeethoven.Overtheyears,composersandconductorsofthehighestprofilesuchas
Beethoven, Mendellsohn, Spohr, Wagner, Berlioz, Tchaikovsky to the contemporaries Solti,
AbbadoandBarenboim,haveallcollaboratedwiththeRoyalPhilharmonicSociety.
MuzioClementi(Rome1752-Evesham1832)leftItalyveryyoungin1766whenhewasbroughtto
DorsetbyawealthyEnglishman,SirPeterBeckford,wholookedafterhisstudyinginexchangefor
delighting his social evenings on the keyboard. Free from his obligations towards Sir Peter,
ClementigoestoLondonin1774wherehisreputationgrowsyearafteryearwiththepublication
of numerous sonatas for piano, still a set piece for piano studies. 1781 is the year in which
ClementiopposedMozartinamusicalduelattheAustrianCourtofEmperorJosephIIinVienna.
Itisalsowell-knownaboutthejudgementwhichMozartreservedfortheRomanpianistinaletter
whichwaspublishedafterhisdeath,inwhichhedescribesthestyleofClementioverlytechnical
andbrandshimasavirtuosoofarpeggios3.Infact,Mozartwasforcedtofeedsomeadmiration
for the Roman when, in the Overture The Magic Flute – coincidentally the Masonic opera par
excellence–heexplicitlymentionsathemefromtheSonataop.24n°2inBflatbyClementi.
In 1785, yet another Italian musician arrived in Paris; this time the Florentine, Luigi Cherubini,
(Florence 1760 - Paris 1842). He soon became a room-mate of Giovan Battista Viotti who
promotedhimtothemajormusicalcirclesofthecity.In1786,ViotticommissionedCherubinifor
the Cantata L’Alliance de la Musique à la Maçonnerie. Cantate. Amphion, élévant les Murs de
ThèbesausondelalyrewhichhadtobeproducedwithintheprogramoftheOlympiqueLodge.
In fact, for problems not yet ascertained, the world premier of Amphion was only on 9th
September2012onoccasionoftheSagraMusicaleUmbrainPerugia.Therearetwohypotheses
astowhyitwasputaside:accordingtoone,thescorewastoocomplexforasmallinstrumental
ensembleoftheLodge;accordingtoothers,thecantatarequiresachoruswithfemalevoicesand
French Freemasonry at that time did not admit women. Amphion, from Greek mythology, is a
cheerfulcantataonthevalueofmusic;itanticipatesinmanyrespects,theoperaDémophoon,also
byCherubini,successsfullyrepresentedsometwentyyearsagoinRome.Itrequiresalyricaltenor
who knows how, in certain moments, to carry a very skilled orchestra of wind and brass
instrumentsandasmallchoirinamannertomakeitseemenormous.In1789wefindthename
3
Anarpeggioisamusicaltechniquewherenotesinachordareplayedinsequence,oneaftertheother,ratherthan
ringingoutsimultaneously.
of Cherubini amongst the composers promoted by the Société Olympique which puts onto its
billboardsthecantataCircé,probablyonceagainthankstotheinterventionofViotti.
Parisisthedestinationofthepopularoperacomposer,GaspareSpontini(Maiolati1774-Maiolati
1851),fromtheMarchesin1803.
Highly regarded also as a conductor, Spontini is encouraged by Napoleon and especially by the
EmpressJosephine.InthefirsttenyearsoftheLondonPhilharmonicSocietySpontini'smusicwas
alwayspresent.From1820to1841heisinBerlinwherehebecametheFirstKapellmeisteratthe
courtofFrederickWilliamIIIofPrussia.Duringtheseyearshewasconstantlywritingtohiswife,
CelesteErardandwithConstanzeMozart,thewidowinsecondmarriagewithGeorgeNissen,the
firstbiographerofWolfgangMozart.Gettingolderhereturnstohisnativecountryin1850when
a year later he dies leaving all his wealth to the nursing home, the House of Children and the
MontediPieta’forthepoorinJesiandMaiolati.
Ofthosemusiciansdealtwithsofar,officialdocumentshavebeenfoundorcertainevidencehas
beenavailabletoprovetheiradherencetoFreemasonry;notsofortheofficialcomposerofthe
Habsburg Court from 1774 to 1824; Antonio Salieri (Legnago 1750 - Vienna 1825). Filmography
hasmadeAntonioSalieriasthegreatadversaryofW.A.Mozart,proposingthathewasinvolvedin
theassassinationoftheyoungtalentedcomposer.Inreality,atthebehestofEmperorJosephII,
the two worked shoulder to shoulder on numerous occasions and it would not be wonder that
they shared deeper ideals. Salieri worked continuously for 50 years in the service of the
Habsburgsandalwaysfollowedwithzealthepolitical-masonicwishoftheEmperor.Thereisno
certainty that the Venetian composer was initiated, for sure he was well acquainted with the
arguments and projects of the masonic thinkers of his time. One incident among many is
enlightening; in 1786 Salieri went to Paris on the orders of the Emperor where he began
collaborating with the masonic scholar, Pierre Beaumerchais. Tarare was the title of the opera
withmusicbySalieriwhichwasproduced.ThestoryisofhowtheSpiritofNatureandtheSpiritof
Firegottiredofthecorruptedhumanraceanddecidedtostartanewbycreatingnewones.They
arbitrarilymadeoneaKingandtheotherhisslave-turned-soldier.
The dread produced by the French Revolution throughout Europe forced several States to ban
secret organisations and amongst these, even Freemasonry. In the Italian States, the Lodges
reappearedafterabout20yearsthankstothepresenceoftheNapoleonicsoldiers.Firstofallthe
so-calledCastrenseormilitaryLodgeswereformedwhichweretiedtothemilitarycompaniesin
oneorotherofthecitiesandlateronthenormalLodgeswereformed,eventheGrandOrientof
Italy which was officially constituted in 1805. On the 27th December 1808, during the general
organisationofthenewinstitution,theformallinkbetweentheGrandOrientofFranceandthe
GrandOrientofItalywasmadeatameetingheldinMilanatwhichBro.NiccolòPaganini(Genova
1782-Nizza1840)directedtheColumnofHarmonywithhismasonicodebasedonthewordsofF.
Lancetti,themusicalscoreofwhichunfortunatelyhasnotcometolight.
The talent and virtuosity of the violinist Paganini are still today considered as outstanding and
many of his compositions for violin can be performed only by a few because of the technical
difficulty.Hisnameiscommonlylinkedtoanimprobable“pactwiththedevil”,anaccusationthat
did not allow him to be buried in consecrated ground when death overtook him in Nice after a
longillnesstohisthroat.Hisson,Achille,bornillegitimatelywiththesingerAntoniaBianchifrom
Como,haspassionatelykepttheoperasandmemoriesofthegreatviolinist.Thestrengthofmind
whichdistinguishedPaganiniinthelastyearsofhislife,victimofanincurabletubercularlaringitis,
isundoubtedlyatopicyettobestudiedinordertounderstandtheextenttowhichFreemasonry
influencedhisearthlyexistence.
To conlude this work there are two pairs of composers whose reputations remain inseperable:
GiuseppeVerdiandArrigoBoito,GiacomoPucciniandFrancoAlfano.
Despite a host of infinite studies, there is very littl known about the masonic membership of
Giuseppe Verdi (Roncole di Busseto 1813 - Milano 1901). Recently, however, a short but
significantessayhasbeenreleasedwhichanalysesamusicalepisodeinthelastpartofFalstaff. 4
The main character, an old man, bald with a big belly who tried to seduce two nice ladies is
broughtintoatraptopunishhisinappropriatebehaviour.Invitedtoshowupatmidnightinthe
woodsforanamorousadventurehefindsanotherreceptionfromothersinvitedanddressedup
assylvanspirits.ProfessorTessadrellioffersadeepreadingofthe13musicalbeatsinwhichthe
episode is developed from the sound of the bells at midnight. First of all it emphasises a close
resemblance with the introduction of the so-called “Quartet of the discordances” that Mozart
composedontheoccasionoftheInitiationofhisfriendHaydnandsecondlytheperformanceof
thetollingofthe13insteadof12barsisreadasatriumphoverthefatefulmoment.“Thetwelve
chimesannounceariteofInitiationthesymbollicallyspeakstousofthesacrificethatisoperated
continuouslybytheforcesoflifeanddeath.”
ArrigoBoito(Padova1842-Milano1918)wasthelibrettistofFalstaff,asofmanyotherworksand
hewasalsothecomposer.Fomthecritics,hewasaaverycontroversialauthorandtherearevery
differentopinionsofhisopera.ItisBoitohimself,throughthepagesoftheMilanesemagazine
“Perseveranze”thathepubliclyannouncedhisPassingtoaFellowCrafton13thSeptember1863.
AlthoughinhisoperaReOrso(KingBear)hetendstoexplain“Neitherawisemotto,norlearned
aphorism . . . . .” the whole Boitan opera is full of masonic thought as well as alchemical and
gnostic.SimontheSorceror,TheOuroboros,theDemiurge,Lucifer,theSefirotharejustsomeof
the themes that appear repeatedly in his stories in his books and, not least, in his musical
productions. His early biographers tied his Masonic membership only to the anti Austrian
conspiraciesovertheyears1850/60andthesecretsocietiesinspiredbyFreemasonry.Recently,
the Association “Friends of Arrigo Boito” has been trying to promote and improve the image of
thisgreatmanofculture,butIwasverysurprisedatthesnappyattitudebehindbyproposalfora
future in-depth study on the true relationship between Boito and Freemasonry. We have to
investigate!
ThelastoperabyGiacomoPuccini(Lucca1858-Brussels1924)issetinChina,orratherintheFar
East.Turandot,thebeautifuldaughteroftheEmperor,willbecomeabrideonlytothePrincewho
isabletoresolvethreeriddles;anywronganswerresultsindeath.Withintheopera,atrueand
4
L.Tessadrelli,“IdodicirintocchidellamezzanotteinFalstaffbyGiuseppeVerdi”,in“Saràunprogresso”…tornandoa
Verdi,editedbyTeresaCamellini,2010
properInitiationjourneycanbeseenalmostonaparwithMozart’sMagicFlute.Calaf,thesuitor,
hastopassaseriesoftestsandonlythankstotheunjustdeathofthebeautifulslavegirlLiuis
abletoreachTurandot,whoattheend,isalmosttransfiguredbychangingthebadcharacterinto
anaffectionateappearance.TheterriblediseasewhichstruckPuccinididnotallowhimtofinish
the opera which was then completed by Franco Alfano (Naples 1876 - Sanremo 1954). His
membershipinaNeapolitanLodgeoftheGrandOrientofItalyiscertainashereachedthe33rd
DegreeintheAncientandAcceptedScottishRite.Labelledbycriticsasa“verismo”composerfor
some of his youthful operas which were successful, Alfano developed his own language in time
andthemostrecentworkshaveyettobestudiedandconsideredintheirpropercontext.
Many other Italian musicians could have been included in this work, but it was not considered
necessarytodosoorbecausetheywerelittlemorethanamateurs,orbecauselittleisknown,and
probablyitishardtoknowoftheirlivesandcontactswithFreemasonry.
In2012avaluableCDwasreleasedinwhichworksbySpontini,Berlioz,Puccini,andSibeliuswere
presented, combining them with those of contemporary composers, apparently close to
Freemasonry.Thisisundoubtedlyasuccessfulexperimentthatcombinesmusicbygenres,epochs
andstyles,andthatgoestoshowtheextenttowhichthevaluesofourOrderareabletobring
togetherdistantbrethreninspaceandtimetowardsthecommongoalofPurebeauty.
Translationby:R.W.Bro.P.NicholasE.-C.
Thepersonalitiesmentioned:
FrancescoSaverioGeminiani
GaetanoPugnani
GiuseppeTartini
JohannWolfgangvonGoethe
FeliceGiardini
NicolòPiccinni
GiovanBattistaViotti
MuzioClementi
LuigiCherubini
GaspareSpontini
AntonioSalieri
NiccolòPaganini
GiuseppeVerdi
ArrigoBoito
GiacomoPuccini
FrancoAlfano