The Italian Cantata in Vienna, 1713–1740: Repertoire and Sources

Abstract

A constant stream of Italian chamber cantatas served as an important source of entertainment at the Viennese court of Emperor Charles VI (r. 1712-1740). A total of 183 extant cantatas found in thirty-six libraries and composed between 1716 and 1740 have been identified. The cantatas were written for one or a few voices with basso continuo accompaniment only, or with one or a few obbligato instruments. Ninety-five percent of the cantatas were composed by three composers: the Assistant Kapellmeister Antonio Caldara and the court composers Francesco Conti and Giuseppe Porsile. A handful of cantatas were provided by Giovanni Perroni, Francesco Borosini, Ignazio Maria Conti, Leopold Timmer, and Georg Reutter the Younger.