1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:06,000 I'm Vicente Martínez Soler. I was born in Valencia the 2nd of May in 1754. 2 00:00:06,000 --> 00:00:14,000 I am rich in performance of zarzuelas and operas, especially in the second half of the 18th century. 3 00:00:14,000 --> 00:00:19,000 My friend and protector during my stay in Madrid is Domenico Guglietti. 4 00:00:19,000 --> 00:00:26,000 My father, general from the Cathedral of Valencia, was possibly the one who interested me in musical studies 5 00:00:26,000 --> 00:00:31,660 and who, in view of his abilities, managed to get me to enter the cathedral as a choir boy. 6 00:00:32,159 --> 00:00:39,640 I studied in Bologna under Giovanni Battista Martini, an Italian conventual Franciscan fire, 7 00:00:39,840 --> 00:00:44,240 who was a leading musician, composer and music historian of the period. 8 00:00:44,240 --> 00:00:46,759 I moved to Madrid in 1975. 9 00:00:47,759 --> 00:00:53,859 My first opera was Il Tutore Burlato, which was performed at the La Granja de San Ildefonso theater. 10 00:00:54,479 --> 00:00:57,240 This was premiered in San Lorenzo del Escorial, Madrid. 11 00:00:58,079 --> 00:01:04,680 This first youth work was so successful that in 1778 it was translated into Spanish 12 00:01:04,680 --> 00:01:10,219 and turned into Azazuela with the title of La Madrileña or El Tutor Burlado. 13 00:01:11,099 --> 00:01:15,140 In Valenciano, that's why they called me during the time I lived in Madrid. 14 00:01:15,379 --> 00:01:22,319 I hoped to make my way out of Spain because for a composer with a vocation, create works for the stage. 15 00:01:22,920 --> 00:01:31,140 Italy was the ideal place to go, and Naples, with its well-established opera tradition and rich theatrical world, met the best conditions. 16 00:01:31,719 --> 00:01:36,819 However, by their resemblance, between the king of Naples and his royal protector of Cura, 17 00:01:37,239 --> 00:01:43,299 nothing seems more natural than to appear before Ferdinand IV, endorsed by the recommendation of my brother. 18 00:01:44,560 --> 00:01:46,920 I can speak of three states in my life. 19 00:01:46,920 --> 00:01:56,760 the first in italy naples venice turin and other cities from 1777 to 7085 the second indiana where 20 00:01:56,760 --> 00:02:02,840 i composed some very outstanding operas in my career and alaska state inside petersburg where 21 00:02:02,840 --> 00:02:11,080 i live it until my death in 1794 to 1796 i made a trip to london a city where i premiered two 22 00:02:11,080 --> 00:02:14,360 to operas before finally returning to Russia. 23 00:02:14,360 --> 00:02:17,020 In it, I earned the appreciation and patronage 24 00:02:17,020 --> 00:02:20,719 of Karls IV during the first month of my stay in Naples. 25 00:02:20,719 --> 00:02:22,759 I had to face a new situation, 26 00:02:22,759 --> 00:02:25,560 that of being an unknown and foreign composer. 27 00:02:25,560 --> 00:02:28,460 Almost simultaneously, I did two works, 28 00:02:28,460 --> 00:02:30,099 the Ballet Linoveli Sposi, 29 00:02:30,099 --> 00:02:32,759 Persian for the well-known dancer Lepic, 30 00:02:32,759 --> 00:02:35,000 and the music for a costume Farad, 31 00:02:35,000 --> 00:02:39,259 Il Viaggio del Gran Signore a la Mecca, 32 00:02:39,259 --> 00:02:44,479 with which the city of Naples celebrated the carnival of 1778. 33 00:02:44,479 --> 00:02:51,819 The king liked this musical so, so much that he commissioned me to compose an opera, 34 00:02:52,159 --> 00:03:00,840 Iphigenia in Aulide, staged in early 1779 at the prestigious San Carlos Theatre. 35 00:03:03,330 --> 00:03:10,849 To sum up, I was a Spanish composer of great value who knew how to make his way among the great European opera composers 36 00:03:10,849 --> 00:03:15,770 of the late 18th century due to my originality, 37 00:03:16,270 --> 00:03:18,669 the naturalness and expressiveness of melodies 38 00:03:18,669 --> 00:03:21,050 and the very personal use of dance rhythms. 39 00:03:21,590 --> 00:03:26,169 Although I lived practically my entire life outside of Spain, 40 00:03:26,509 --> 00:03:28,129 I never forgot my homeland, 41 00:03:28,530 --> 00:03:32,289 since popular Spanish melodies and rhythms appear in many of my operas. 42 00:03:32,909 --> 00:03:35,189 My work and my fame spread through Europe, 43 00:03:35,810 --> 00:03:38,750 and I am one of the few Spanish composers of the time 44 00:03:38,750 --> 00:03:40,110 with an international career. 45 00:03:40,849 --> 00:03:54,849 My most relevant music works. The Tree of Diana, this drama I also interact with by me, is a precious ode to love, sensuality and sexuality against reactionary and obscurantist morality. 46 00:03:54,849 --> 00:04:05,849 One of the three operas that I composed during my sojourn at the court in Vienna, with the libretto by Italian Lorenzo da Ponte. The highlight melody scores in entertaining and fun. 47 00:04:05,849 --> 00:04:27,639 The plot half-way between pastoral literature and erotic comedy. This work also praises the political openness of the Archduke Joseph II of Austria. The work was received with clamorous success. It reaches 70 performances in the three ensigning years. 48 00:04:29,160 --> 00:04:37,680 The voice types using this play are a few sopranos, one contralto, one mezzo-soprano, one bass and a pair of tenor. 49 00:04:37,680 --> 00:04:45,180 Arraising Our Beauty and Honesty, another of the three operas written by me and Italian 50 00:04:45,180 --> 00:04:49,620 libertist Lorenza da Ponte during my stay at the court in Vienna. 51 00:04:49,620 --> 00:04:55,680 This drama echoes into acts whose full name is Arraising Our Beauty and Honesty is based 52 00:04:55,680 --> 00:05:01,779 on La Luna de la Sierra, a historical drama by the Baroque writer Luis de Vergara. 53 00:05:01,779 --> 00:05:06,959 The story takes place in a town in the Sierra Morena during the reign of Isabella I, La 54 00:05:06,959 --> 00:05:13,720 La Cattolica, late 15th century, and takes the story of the intention of her son, Prince 55 00:05:13,720 --> 00:05:19,199 John, to conquer the love of the mountain sephirth Lila, who remained steadfast in her 56 00:05:19,199 --> 00:05:20,920 love for the sephirth Lubino. 57 00:05:26,399 --> 00:05:31,639 It was first performed in the Burg City in Vienna on 17 November 1786. 58 00:05:32,480 --> 00:05:37,980 After its premiere, the work enjoyed such enormous popularity, with 78 performances 59 00:05:37,980 --> 00:05:44,779 in the ensigning years, that by any society ladies even began to dress in the same style as the characters. 60 00:05:45,240 --> 00:05:52,120 The voice type used in this play are a few sopranos, a pair of tenor, one bass, and one baritone.