Biography
An Italian composer and conductor, Spontini encountered repeated setbacks through unsuccessful and musically unsatisfying operas. His initial efforts generated scant interest despite stagings in Rome, Venice, Florence, Naples, and Palermo. After 1803, patronage from Josephine brought his first recognition in Paris, yet meaningful progress occurred only in 1807. He selected lyric tragedy as his chosen medium, and "Fernand Cortez," which honored Napoleon, received its initial production in 1809 before attaining acceptance only in the 1817 revision. Grandeur supplied the work's dominant quality. "Olimpie," his concluding opera for the Paris stage, collapsed in failure. Three years afterward he moved to Berlin to serve as general music director of the opera. Royal patronage and protection shielded him, yet he still confronted rivalry from Rossini and Meyerbeer plus Weber's hostility. "Agnes von Hohenstaufen," completed in 1837, remained his sole opera of consequence. Spontini attempted to fuse French and Italian idioms by reducing solo numbers while increasing large ensemble passages. Ceremonial pomp within varied theatrical displays marked both the music and the narratives.