Biography
Born in 1623 in Arezzo, Antonio Cesti distinguished himself during the Baroque period as a vocalist, keyboardist, and creator of musical dramas. Regarded as the foremost performer among his contemporaries, he is now recognized primarily for substantial contributions to opera and secular cantata repertory.
Little survives concerning his childhood and training beyond his early service as a choirboy at a local church. From 1633 onward he appeared as both singer and organist at various Tuscan houses of worship. Intent on a clerical and ecclesiastical-musical vocation, he entered the Franciscan order in 1637 and took up duties at the monastery of St. Francesco in Arezzo. Between 1644 and 1649 he held successive posts at Arezzo, Volterra Cathedral, and the Basilica di Santa Croce in Florence while simultaneously attracting secular support, most notably from the Medici family.
His appearance in three acclaimed productions in Lucca during 1650 brought his ecclesiastical career to a close; the head of his order censured him for the performances, citing an irregular and disreputable mode of life. Two years later he relocated to Innsbruck, where Archduke Ferdinand Charles—son of Claudia de Medici—enrolled him in the court establishment. There he wrote several of his best-known operas, among them Cleopatra, L'Argia, and Orontea, the last of which achieved exceptional popularity and enjoyed repeated stagings across more than three decades.
By 1660 he had joined the papal choir under Pope Alexander VII, attaining the height of his renown as a singer while remaining sought after as a composer by the Medici and additional affluent patrons. In 1666 he journeyed to Vienna to serve Emperor Leopold I simultaneously as director of theatrical music and honorary chaplain, producing Le disgrazie d'Amore, La Semirami, and the lavish Il pomo d'oro. Unable to reconcile court obligations with an exhausting schedule of performances, he resigned late in 1667 and settled in Florence as maestro di cappella. He participated in a revival of L'Argia before his death in 1669.
Little survives concerning his childhood and training beyond his early service as a choirboy at a local church. From 1633 onward he appeared as both singer and organist at various Tuscan houses of worship. Intent on a clerical and ecclesiastical-musical vocation, he entered the Franciscan order in 1637 and took up duties at the monastery of St. Francesco in Arezzo. Between 1644 and 1649 he held successive posts at Arezzo, Volterra Cathedral, and the Basilica di Santa Croce in Florence while simultaneously attracting secular support, most notably from the Medici family.
His appearance in three acclaimed productions in Lucca during 1650 brought his ecclesiastical career to a close; the head of his order censured him for the performances, citing an irregular and disreputable mode of life. Two years later he relocated to Innsbruck, where Archduke Ferdinand Charles—son of Claudia de Medici—enrolled him in the court establishment. There he wrote several of his best-known operas, among them Cleopatra, L'Argia, and Orontea, the last of which achieved exceptional popularity and enjoyed repeated stagings across more than three decades.
By 1660 he had joined the papal choir under Pope Alexander VII, attaining the height of his renown as a singer while remaining sought after as a composer by the Medici and additional affluent patrons. In 1666 he journeyed to Vienna to serve Emperor Leopold I simultaneously as director of theatrical music and honorary chaplain, producing Le disgrazie d'Amore, La Semirami, and the lavish Il pomo d'oro. Unable to reconcile court obligations with an exhausting schedule of performances, he resigned late in 1667 and settled in Florence as maestro di cappella. He participated in a revival of L'Argia before his death in 1669.