Giovanni Battista Pescetti

Born circa 1704 in Venice, Giovanni Battista Pescetti is a minor composer who studied with Baldassare Galuppi [Lambert / Wikipedia] under Antonio Lotti. Bridging from baroque to less rigid galant and classical, he wrote mostly operas and sonatas for clavier (keyboard: harpsichord or organ). Eight of his 33 operas listed at Italian Wikipedia were pasticcios imitative after other composers [pasticcio / pastiche]. Librettists for whom he composed settings include several of Metastasio's works. Italian Opera has Pescetti's initial opera, 'Nerone Detronato', premiering at the Teatro San Salvatore in Venice sometime in 1725. Come 'Il Prototipo' at the Teatro San Samuele in 1726 followed by 'La Cantatrice' in 1727. None of Pescetti's numerous settings for dramatic or works for voice are documented at YouTube.

Pescetti headed for London in 1736 to replace Niccolò Porpora as director of the Opera of the Nobility the next year. The Opera of the Nobility had been established by Prince Frederick of Wales to rival Handel's Royal Academy of Music backed by King George II. A volume of '10 Sonatas per Gravicembalo' (harpsichord) by Pescetti appeared in 1739.

'Sonata No.1 in E major'   Giovanni Pescetti

From '10 Sonatas per Gravicembalo'   Published London 1739

Dedicated to Countess Grace Boyle of Middlesex (1723-63)

Cembalo: Rolf Bаstеn

Pescetti returned to Venice in 1747 where he taught music. It was in the vicinity of 1756, about ten years before his death, that he wrote his 'Sonata in C minor' for harpsichord [IMSLP]. 'Sonata in C minor' is also referred to as 'Sonata VI in C minor'. IMSLP catalogs this piece as No.6 of '6 Harpsichord Sonatas' copied by Peter August into MS D-Dl Mus.2967-T-1 sometime before 1787 [ScorSer / SLUB]. It is also catalogued as No.4 of '6 Keyboard Sonatas' entered into MS I-Vc Torr.Ms.B.16 sometime between 1790 to 1799 [score]. The actual title of the latter is 'VI Sonate per Clavicembalo o Piano Forte' though Pescetti probably didn't compose for pianoforte. (It took about a century for the gravicembalo col piano e forte of Bartolomeo Cristofori in 1700 to develop into the grand piano that replaced the harpsichord as keyboard of choice about 1800.) At this writing Pescetti's sonatas are largely undocumented at YouTube with the exception of his singularly popular 'Sonata (VI) in C minor' interpreted by numerous artists on various instruments. It was notably transcribed for harp in 1931 by Carlos Salzedo [score].

'Sonata (VI) in C minor'   Giovanni Pescetti

Comp sometime 1750-66   MS D-Dl Mus.2967-T-1 sometime 1750-87

Organ: Peter Hurford

'Sonata (VI) in C minor'   Giovanni Pescetti

Comp sometime 1750-66   MS D-Dl Mus.2967-T-1 sometime 1750-87

Piano: Chris Breemer

'Sonata (VI) in C minor'   Giovanni Pescetti

Comp sometime 1750-66   MS D-Dl Mus.2967-T-1 sometime 1750-87

Transcribed for harp by Carlos Salzedo 1931

Harp: Joost Williamze

'Sonata (VI) in C minor'   Giovanni Pescetti

Comp sometime 1750-66   MS D-Dl Mus.2967-T-1 sometime 1750-87

Transcribed for guitar by Matteo de Rossi / Simone Palmieri

Guitar: Matteo de Rossi / Simone Palmieri

Composing settings for voice into the sixties, Pescetti was employed as second organist at St. Mark's Basilica from 1762 until his death in Venice on 20 March 1766.