1694–1744 · Baroque
Leonardo Leo (1694–1744) was an Italian Baroque composer and a representative of the Neapolitan opera school. Born in Apulia, he studied and taught in Naples and wrote comic and serious operas as well as sacred music. The site offers his aria "Misero pargoletto" from the opera Demofoonte for pianists.
Leonardo Leo was born on 5 August 1694 in the Kingdom of Naples, in the small town of San Vito degli Schiavoni. Today it is called San Vito dei Normanni and lies in Apulia, in the province of Brindisi. The composer's full name was Leonardo Ortensio Salvatore de Leo.
In 1703 he entered the Naples conservatory of Santa Maria della Pietà dei Turchini and completed his studies there in 1713. He first studied with Francesco Provenzale and later with Nicola Fago. The influence of A. Scarlatti and G. Pitoni can be heard in his music.
Leo first became known through the sacred drama L'infedeltà abbattuta, which his fellow students at the conservatory staged in 1712. It is the earliest of his works known today. Two years later, in 1714, his opera Pisistrato was produced at the royal court, and the audience received it warmly.
From 1713 Leo served as organist of the royal chapel and later became maestro di cappella of the Naples church of Santa Maria della Solitaria. From 1715 he taught at the same conservatory where he had studied. In 1739 he began teaching at another conservatory, Sant'Onofrio. Throughout these years he kept writing for the stage.
His pupils included P. Cafaro, E. Barbella, Niccolò Jommelli, Niccolò Piccinni, N. Logroscino and V. L. Ciampi.
Leo wrote comic operas in Neapolitan. One of them is L'Alidoro of 1740.
Leo's best-known comic opera is La finta Frascatana, also called Amor vuol sofferenza. The opera was also staged under other titles.
Leo also wrote serious operas. His Sofonisba was given at the Royal Palace of Naples in 1718, and Timocrate at the Teatro San Angelo in Venice in 1723. In 1732 Demetrio was staged at the Teatro San Bartolomeo.
Demofoonte (1735), Farnace (1737) and L'Olimpiade (1737, Teatro San Carlo) were also successful.
Leonardo Leo died on 31 October 1744 in Naples. A stroke ended his life as he worked on fresh arias for a new production of La finta Frascatana.
Leo is described as the first composer of the Neapolitan school to master polyphonic harmony completely. His sacred music is marked by virtuosity and grandeur, without the passion and sentimentality found in the works of F. Durante and G. Pergolesi. His serious operas are austere and cold, while the comic ones show a delicate sense of humour. His ensembles are rich but never build to a powerful climax.
As a composer of sacred music Leo is known even more widely than as an opera composer. His operatic legacy includes Demofoonte, Farnace and L'Olimpiade, and among the comic works La finta Frascatana, which was highly praised by de Brosses.
Leo also wrote instrumental music: recordings exist of his concerto for four violins and strings and of six cello concertos. He also left cantatas, including ones for solo voice and strings.
The site has the aria "Misero pargoletto" from the opera Demofoonte, an edition of intermediate-plus level. There is no other music by Leo on the site yet, so this is the natural place to begin getting to know the composer. The opera Demofoonte dates from 1735.