1716–1796 · Classical
Felice Giardini (1716–1796) was an Italian violinist and composer, born in Turin. He performed at European courts, then worked for many years in London, leading the orchestra of the Italian Opera. Among Christian churches he is known for the tune "Italian Hymn".
Felice Giardini was born in Turin on 12 April 1716. His father was a musician whose family came from France and bore the surname Jardin. The boy's gift for the violin showed early, yet his father sent him to Milan to serve as a singer in the cathedral. There his teacher was Giuseppe Paladini, who taught him singing, composition and harpsichord.
Later Giardini returned to Turin and studied the violin with Giovanni Battista Somis. At the age of twelve he was taken on as a violinist in the orchestra of the opera theatre in Rome. He then played in the orchestra of the Teatro San Carlo in Naples, where he soon became vice-maestro.
In this post Giardini took part in the productions of Niccolò Jommelli's operas Eumene (30 May 1747) and Ezio (4 November 1748). Jommelli thought highly of his virtuoso playing and improvisations. Charles Burney mentions Giardini's playing in his book on a musical tour of Italy.
Giardini then decided to perform as a soloist and set off on a tour of the royal courts of Europe. After his success in Berlin he gave a concert in Paris and arrived in London. His first London concert, on 27 April 1751, was warmly received, and he gained the patronage of the local aristocracy. Soon he was recognised as a virtuoso violinist. From 1751 to 1755 his main performances took place in the hall on Dean Street.
Giardini married the singer Maria Vestris, but the marriage was short. At that time, in 1754, he brought the orchestra and theatre of the Italian Opera back to life and led them for thirty years. His operas also date from these years.
In 1773 in London Giardini played a duet with the violinist Wilhelm Cramer. He took part in concerts of Carl Friedrich Abel and Johann Christian Bach, sometimes playing the viola. From 1770 to 1776 he toured England with an orchestra. Giardini was a well-known teacher and impresario.
From 1774 to 1779 Giardini conducted the orchestra at concerts in the Pantheon on Oxford Street in London. In 1776–1777 and 1782–1783 he was conductor of the orchestra of the Royal Theatre.
In 1784 Giardini went to Naples and for several years served William Hamilton, the British ambassador to the Kingdom of Naples. There he tried to found a theatre of his own, without success. In 1790 he likewise tried unsuccessfully to return to the Italian Opera theatre in London. After 1792 the composer left England and travelled to St Petersburg, where he again met with failure. He died in Moscow on 8 June 1796 in extreme poverty.
Giardini composed in nearly every genre of his time, though his two main areas were opera and chamber music. In total he left 8 operas (3 lost, music surviving for 4), 2 oratorios, and a great many chamber and vocal pieces. Being a string player himself, he knew how to bring out the best in string instruments. Trios took most of his attention, above all those for violin, viola and cello; he wrote at least 18. He also composed string quartets, then a new and developing form. His chamber music blends the galant style with the classicism of the mid-18th century, as found in Johann Christian Bach, the Stamitzes and the Mannheim school.
Among Christian churches Giardini is known for the tune "Italian Hymn", which also goes by the names "Trinity" and "Moscow". It often accompanies the text of the hymn "Come, Thou Almighty King". The site has "Italian Hymn (hymntune)" for SATB choir, at the Intermediate level.