Description
Upon careful analysis, it appears quite clear that 19th-century Italian instrumental and symphonic music has not received the attention it truly deserves, despite having solid foundations in Italy. The tripartite form, reminiscent of Scarlatti, as well as the initial development of instrumental concertos, found fertile ground in the 18th-century works of composers such as Vivaldi, Torelli, Geminiani, Marcello, Albinoni, Tartini, and others. However, this genre was largely abandoned as the focus shifted to opera. Opera evolved from seria to buffa and eventually to lirica, pushing instrumental and symphonic music into the background, almost to the point of disappearing from Italian production altogether.
Mozart serves as a decisive figure in this context. He uniquely bridged the roles of symphonic composer (41 symphonies) and opera composer (23 operas) although historical criticism has often sought to separate these two roles. In Italy, the natural progression from 18th-century Neapolitan traditions led to a focus on opera. Rossini, Donizetti, and Bellini, who began their careers in Naples, initially composed comic operas, farces, and comedies before transforming their style into grand operas, tragedies, and lyrical dramas.
