Biography
Like his sibling Alessandro, Benedetto received violin instruction from their father while also training in vocal technique and contrapuntal writing under Gasparini. His father nevertheless refused to permit a musical career, sending the young man instead to rural surroundings to study law. After completing those legal studies, Benedetto occupied a succession of governmental posts for many years. At age twenty-one he nevertheless gained admission to Rome’s Arcadian Academy under an assumed name. Although his earliest operatic libretto received its setting in 1707, his initial printed collection appeared the following year and comprised twelve concertos. The greater part of his output consisted of vocal compositions—operas, oratorios, numerous cantatas, masses, and motets. He fashioned the first fifty psalms as cantatas and issued them in eight volumes. Emperor Charles VI later commissioned works from him, an honor that attracted pupils and confirmed Marcello’s skill as a teacher; among those who studied with him were Galuppi and Bordoni. His music displayed striking variety, combining inventive imagination, refined craftsmanship, and originality. Certain pieces foregrounded galant sensibility, while others stressed established contrapuntal procedures. The emotional range encompassed within their textures extended from the poignant to the comic.