Johann Simon Mayr

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For the 17th-century astronomer, see Simon Marius.

Johann(es) Simon Mayr (also spelled Majer, Mayer, Maier), also known in Italian as Giovanni Simone Mayr or Simone Mayr (June 14, 1763 in Mendorf near Altmannstein, Landkreis Eichstätt - December 2, 1845 in Bergamo) was a German composer.

Contents 1 Life 2 Operas 3 Literature 4 Movie 5 External links

[edit] Life

He was born in Bavaria and studied theology at the University of Ingolstadt, continuing his studies in Italy from 1787. He was closely associated with the Bavarian Illuminati of Adam Weishaupt while a student in Ingolstadt, and the ideals of the French Enlightenment were a strong influence on his philosophy as a musician as corroborated by his famed Zibaldone or "Notebooks" compiled toward the end of his career.

Shortly thereafter, he took music lessons with Carlo Lenzi, and later with Ferdinando Bertoni. He moved to Bergamo in 1802 and was appointed maestro di cappella at the Cathedral of Bergamo, succeeding his old teacher Lenzi. He held the post until his death, and became a central figure in the city's musical life, organizing concerts and introducing Ludwig van Beethoven's music there. He was music teacher to Gaetano Donizetti. By the end of his life, he was blind. He is buried in the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, Bergamo, just in front of the tomb of his famous pupil.

Mayr's astonishing list of works, among which are almost seventy operas, are rarely performed today.

[edit] Operas

Saffo (1794) La Lodoiska (1796) Un pazzo ne fa cento (1796) Telemaco nell'isola di Calipso (1797) L'intrigo della lettera (1797) Il segreto (1797) Avviso ai maritati (1798) Lauso e Lidia (1798) Adriano in Siria (1798) Che originali (1798) Amor ingegnoso (1798) L'ubbidienza per astuzia (1798) Adelaide di Guesclino (1799) L'accademia di musica (1799) Labino e Carlotta (1799) L'avaro (1799) La locandiera (1800) Il caretto del venditore d'aceto (1800) L'inconvenienze teatrali (1800) L'equivoco, ovvero Le bizzarie dell'amore (1800) Gli sciti (1800) Ginevra di Scozia (1801) Le due giornate (1801) I virtuosi (1801) Argene (1801) I misteri eleusini (1802) Ercole in Lidia (1803) Le finte rivali (1803) Alonso e Cora (1803) Amor non ha ritegno (1804) Elisa (ossia Il monte San Bernardo (1804)

Zamori, ossia L'eroe dell'Indie (1804) Eraldo ed Emma (1805) Di locanda in locanda e sempre in sala (1805) L'amor coniugale (1805) La roccia di Frauenstein (1805) Gli americani (1805) Palmira, ossia Il trionfo della virtu e dell'amore (1806) Il piccolo compositore di musica (1806) Adelasia e Aleramo (1806) Ne l'un, ne l'altro (1807) Belle ciarle e tristi fatti (1807) I cherusci (1808) Il vero originale (1808) Il matrimonio per concorso (1809) Il ritorno di Ulisse (1809) Amore non soffre opposizione (1810) Raul di Crequi (1810) Il sacrifizio d'Ifigenia (1811) L'amor filiale (1811) Tamerlano (1812) Medea in Corinto (1813) La rosa bianca e la rosa rossa (1813) Elena (1814) Atar, ossia Il serraglio d'Ormus (1814) Le due duchesse (o sia La caccia dei lupi (1814) Cora (1815) Mennone e Zemira (1817) Amor avvocato (1817) Alfredo il grande, re degli Anglo Sassoni (1819) Le danaide (1819) Fedra (1820) Demetrio (1824)

[edit] Literature

• Heinrich Bauer: Simon Mayr 1763-1845, Meister der italienischen Oper aus der bayerischen Oberpfalz. (Munich : Bayer. Vereinsbank), 1983
• Franz Hauk: Johann Simon Mayr und Venedig. (Munich : Katzbichler), 1999. - ISBN 3-87397-1534

[edit] Movie

• Martin Pfeil: Der vergessene Musiker: Johann Simon Mayer (1763-1845). INTV Media Ingolstadt, 1995 (VHS, 30 Min.)

[edit] External links

• Simon-Mayr-Gesellschaft
• Free scores by Simon Mayr in the Werner Icking Music Archive (WIMA)