Antonio Sacchini

Antonio Maria Gasparo Gioacchino Sacchini(14 June 1730 – 6 October 1786) was an Italianclassical eracomposer,best known for his operas.

Antonio Sacchini

Sacchini was born inFlorence,but raised inNaples,where he received his musical education. He made a name for himself as a composer of serious and comic opera in Italy before moving to London, where he produced works for theKing's Theatre.He spent his final years in Paris, becoming embroiled in the musical dispute between the followers of the composersGluckandNiccolò Piccinni.His early death in 1786 was blamed on his disappointment over the apparent failure of his operaŒdipe à Colone.However, when the work was revived the following year, it quickly became one of the most popular in the 18th-century French repertoire.

Life

Childhood and education

Sacchini was the son of a humble Florentine cook (or coachman),Gaetano Sacchini. At the age of four, he moved with his family toNaplesas part of the entourage of theinfanteCharles of Bourbon(later to become King Charles III of Spain). The young Sacchini's talent for music caught the attention ofFrancesco Durante,who enrolled him in theConservatorio di Santa Maria di Loretoat the age of ten. Here Durante and his assistant Pietrantonio Gallo taught Sacchini the basics of composition, harmony and counterpoint. Sacchini also became a skilled violinist under the tuition ofNicola Fiorenzaas well as studying singing underGennaro Manna.Sacchini was one of the favourite pupils of Durante, a hard teacher to please. It was said that Durante would point out the young Sacchini to his fellow pupils, warning them that he would be a difficult rival to beat and urging them to try to match him, otherwise Sacchini would become the "man of the century."

Early career in Italy

Tommaso Traetta,Sacchini's friend and fellow composer

Sacchini was 25 when Durante died in 1755. The following year, he became a "mastricello" (a junior teacher in the school) and had the opportunity to compose, as the final exercise of his studies, his first operatic work, an intermezzo in two parts entitledFra' Donato.It was performed to great acclaim by the school's students and was followed a year later by another intermezzo,Il giocatore.The warm reception these works enjoyed paved Sacchini's way to commissions from the smaller theatres which performed opera inNeapolitan dialect.One of his major successes was theopera buffaOlimpia tradita(1758) at the Teatro dei Fiorentini, which led to commissions from theTeatro San Carlo,where his firstopera seria,Andromaca,was premiered in 1761.Meanwhile, Sacchini was pursuing his career at the Conservatorio, where he had initially taken up the unpaid position of "maestro di cappella straordinario", assisting the "primo maestro", Manna, and the "secondo maestro", Gallo. When Manna retired in 1761, shortly before the premiere ofAndromaca,Sacchini was promoted to "secondo maestro".

In 1762 the Conservatorio gave Sacchini permission to travel to Venice to present the operasAlessandro Severo(with a libretto byApostolo Zeno) at the Teatro San Benedetto, andAlessandro nelle Indie(with a libretto byMetastasio) the following year at theTeatro San Salvatore.Over the next couple of years, Sacchini produced new operas for theatres across Italy:Olimpiadein Padua (Teatro Nuovo, 1763),Eumenein Florence (La Pergola, 1764),Semiramide riconosciutain Rome (Teatro Argentina,1764), andLucio Veroin Naples (Teatro San Carlo, 1764). Success on an Italian-wide level encouraged Sacchini to leave his job at the Conservatorio di Santa Maria di Loreto,as well as his temporary post in Venice, and to try his luck as an independent composer.

Initially settling in Rome, Sacchini spent several years composingopere buffefor the Teatro Valle. These works made him famous throughout Europe. One of the most notable of them – it has been revived and recorded in modern times – was the two-act intermezzoLa contadina in corte(1765). In 1768, Sacchini moved to Venice, having accepted the temporary post of director of the Conservatorio dell'Ospedale dei Poveri Derelitti(the "Ospedaletto" ),offered by his predecessor in the jobTommaso Traetta,who had been Sacchini's friend since their studies together in Naples and who was now leaving Venice to work at the court ofSaint Petersburg.In Venice, Sacchini soon made a name for himself as a singing master (his pupils includedNancy Storaceand, possibly, Adriana Gabrielli, who, under the nameAdriana Ferrarese del Benewas subsequently to go down in history as the first singer to play Mozart'sFiordiligi). While continuing to pursue his career as an opera composer, he also spent time writing sacred pieces (oratorios, masses, hymns, motets) for the Conservatorio and various Venetian churches, as his contract required.

Charles Burneymet Sacchini in Venice in 1770. By then, Sacchini was enjoying an enormous reputation: he had just scored successes with the operasScipione in CartagenaandCalliroeinMunichandLudwigsburg,and he was, in the opinion of the English writer, the only composer worthy to stand alongside the "giant"Baldassare Galuppiamong all the "dwarfs" who then populated the Venetian musical scene.

Giuseppe Millico,the famouscastratosinger who accompanied Sacchini to London

London

In 1772, Sacchini moved to London, accompanied byGiuseppe Millico,one of the finestcastratithen active on the European stage andGluck's favourite. Beginning with two new operas staged at the King's Theatre in 1773,Il Cid(in January) andTamerlano(in May), in the words of Burney, Sacchini soon "captured the hearts" of the London public. He was so popular that Tommaso Traetta was unable to make any impression with his operas when he arrived in the British capital in 1776, even though Sacchini himself had supported the move by his old friend.Sacchini remained in London for a decade, until 1782, despite the fact his enormous mounting debts created growing difficulties and even enemies. Among the latter wasVenanzio Rauzzini,who had taken over from Millico as the leading male singer at the King's Theatre, and who claimed that he had written some of Sacchini's most famous arias himself.The majority of Sacchini's chamber music dates from his years in London.As far as music for the stage is concerned, new operas by Sacchini were produced every year over the whole period apart from 1776/1777,probably in connection with the composer's trips to the Continent and with the staging in Paris of French-languagepasticcibased on two previous works: thedramma giocosofrom the Roman period,L'isola d'amore,now entitledLa colonie,and theopera seriaL'Olimpiade,which becameL'Olympiade.The translator of the libretti into French was the musician and writerNicolas-Étienne Framery,a lover of Italian music. At that time, the Parisian operatic scene was divided between supporters of the German composer Gluck, famous for his musical reforms, and followers of his Italian rivalNiccolò Piccinni.A member of the emerging Piccinnist faction, Framery also admired Sacchini and formed a lasting friendship with him.On 8 June 1779, a work by Sacchini appeared for the first time on the stage of theParis Opéra.It was a revival of thedramma giocosoL'amore soldato,which had premiered in England the previous year, and was now advertised as anintermèdein three acts.During his stays in Paris in the seventies Sacchini is also said to have imparted the rudiments of a real singing education to the future European star of opera and refined cantatrice,Brigida Banti.

Paris

Étienne Lainezas Rodrigue inChimène,the second work Sacchini composed for the Paris Opéra

Sacchini's position in London eventually became untenable: his health had declined and his work was no longer attracting the same success. These factors and the looming threat of debtors' prison finally induced him to accept Framery's invitation to move to Paris in 1781. Sacchini received a warm welcome in the French capital: the Piccinnists saw him as a natural ally in their battle against the influence of Gluck; but, more importantly,Emperor Joseph IIhappened to be in Paris at the time, travelling incognito. The emperor was a passionate devotee of Italian music, and Sacchini's in particular, and he eagerly recommended the composer to his sisterMarie Antoinette,the Queen of France. The Queen's patronage paved Sacchini's way to the Opéra (she had helped Gluck in much the same fashion eight years earlier). In October, Sacchini signed a lucrative contract with theAcadémie Royale de Musique(the Paris Opéra) to produce three new works.

However, Sacchini immediately found himself embroiled in intrigues.Seigneur de la Ferté,the intendant of theMenus-Plaisirs du Roi,a sort of master of royal ceremonies who was also head of the Académie Royale, was opposed to the queen's predilection for foreign music.He plotted to delay the premiere of Sacchini’s first French opera,Renaud.Meanwhile, the Gluckists were manoeuvring to detach Sacchini from his Piccinnist supporters. WhenRenaudfinally appeared on 25 February 1783, its reception was positive but not overwhelming. The libretto was a reworking, to which Framery contributed, of a libretto bySimon-Joseph Pellegrin(Renaud, ou La suite d'Armide), which had originally been set to music in 1722 byHenri Desmarets.Contrary to what has often been claimed,the ParisianRenaudwas not a revised version of Sacchini'sArmidaof 1772, itself revised to create a new operaRinaldofor London in 1780. Instead,Renaudwas "a completely new opera, starting with the action, which begins at the point where the other two leave off; the subject of the opera was no longer the love of Armida and Rinaldo in the enchanted garden, which Armida destroys after her lover leaves her, but based on their subsequent story inTasso'sGerusalemme liberata(with many liberties taken). "However,Renaudpleased neither party: "Piccinni's faction asserted that the score... was influenced by Gluck, while the Gluck supporters condemned the work for lacking dramatic power and originality."

Sacchini's second opera for the Paris stage was also based on a subject the composer had treated (twice) before, the story ofEl Cid.The new work appeared at the court theatre under the titleChimènein November 1783, in an atmosphere of direct competition with Piccinni. Piccinni'sDidon,staged at court the previous month, had been hailed as a masterpiece, enjoying a further two performances there; in comparison,Chimènemade less of an impression and was only given once. However, "both composers were presented to the king (Sacchini by the queen herself) and given a large pension".In fact, despite Sacchini's arrival in Paris having been supported by Piccinni himself (he had initially seen Sacchini as an ally), the continuing absence of Gluck (which would turn out to be permanent), the intrigues of Piccinni's enemies, Sacchini's touchiness and his need for money, had inevitably ended in a rivalry between the two Italian composers, and a third musical faction had emerged on the Parisian scene: the "Sacchinists", a "sort of moderate Gluckists, who, as [the writer on music]Grimmwittily observed, had adhered to the new sect solely because of their jealousy towards Piccinni. With his indecisiveness and weakness, Sacchini only succeeded in setting himself against both factions, without endearing himself to either; and when it came to a fight, he found both of them against him. "

A portrait ofMarie Antoinettein 1783 byÉlisabeth Vigée-Lebrun

Sacchini's first two Parisian operas had been praised for their Italianate charm, but criticised for a certain dramatic weakness, also deriving from the Italian style. With his next operas, Sacchini "attempted to create works that conformed to the ideals of French musical drama."Dardanus,with a libretto which was largely a reworking ofJean-Philippe Rameau'sopera of the same name,provoked mixed reactions and appeared in two different versions in the first year of its life on stage. His next opera,Œdipe à Colone,was to have a far more dramatic impact on the life of the composer. Sacchini had finished the score in November 1785, and the enthusiastic Marie-Antoinette was keen for it to be given at court on 4 January 1786 to mark the opening of the new theatre at thePalace of Versailles(even though the finishing touches had not been made to the building). Perhaps because of difficulties with rehearsals, the one and only performance at court had limited success, but fate denied the composer the satisfaction of seeing it again, either at court, or at the Opéra. His pupilHenri Montan Berton,himself an opera composer, described the circumstances which delayed further performances:

Queen Marie Antoinette, who loved and cultivated the arts, had promised Sacchini thatOedipewould be the first opera to be performed at the court theatre after its transfer to Fontainebleau. Sacchini had shared the good news with us and continued his habit of meeting Her Majesty after she had heard mass, when she invited him to join her in her musicsalon.There she took pleasure in listening to some of the finest excerpts fromArvire et Évélina,the opera [with words by] Guillard on which he was then working. Having noticed that, for several Sundays in a row, the Queen seemed to avoid catching his eye, Sacchini – tormented with anxiety – deliberately placed himself in her way so that Her Majesty had no choice but to speak with him. She received him in the music salon and told him, in a voice full of emotion: 'My dear Sacchini, people say I show too much favour to foreigners. They have pressured me so strongly to haveMonsieur Lemoyne'sPhèdreperformed instead of yourŒdipethat I could not refuse. You see the position I am in, please forgive me.'

Sacchini, struggling to contain his distress, bowed respectfully and immediately returned to Paris. He was brought to my mother's house. He entered in tears and threw himself into an armchair. We could only get a few broken phrases from him: 'My good friend, my children, I'm finished. The Queen, she no longer loves me! The Queen, she no longer loves me!' All our efforts to allay his grief were in vain. He refused to have dinner with us. He was very ill withgout...we took him back to his house and three [days] later he died at the age of 56.

Sacchini died on 6 October 1786, aged 56, leaving the score ofArvire et Évélinaincomplete. It was finished byJean-Baptiste Rey,the head of the Opéra, and successfully produced on 29 April 1788.

Sacchini's dramatic death caught the public's imagination. The involvement of the queen and a sincerely appreciative article by Piccinni, who dedicated a moving funeral oration to the dead composer, turned popular opinion in his favour. The management of the Académie Royale, without even waiting for the usual pressure from above, orderedŒdipe à Coloneto go into rehearsal at theThéâtre de la Porte Saint-Martin,then the temporary home of the Opéra. "The first performance ofŒdipe à Colonetook place on Tuesday 1 February 1787... The hall was packed, and many people had to remain standing... The turnout made the triumph even more impressive. "Its success was resounding and lasting: henceforward, the work was staged in Paris's leading theatre every year from 1787 to 1830, and revived in July 1843 and May 1844, giving a total of 583 performances,making it Sacchini's most famous opera and one of the most durable of the eighteenth-century repertoire, surpassing even the operas of Gluck, at least until it fell into the oblivion in which it has more or less remained until today, along with the rest of Sacchini's work.

Musical style

"The real significance of Sacchini's work is difficult to determine aesthetically, although the obvious historical importance of the composer and his activity undoubtedly demands more careful study and more thorough investigation":with these words the editor of Sacchini's article in theGrande Enciclopedia della Musica Liricabegins the section evaluating his music. Any such assessment is made more difficult by the comparative lack of interest the modern operatic world has shown in Sacchini's works, although this has begun to change in the early 21st century: there are now two complete recordings ofŒdipe à Coloneand one ofRenaud.

In his own time, Sacchini was described as the champion of melody. Indeed, the composerGiuseppe Carpani,about twenty years his junior, said that Sacchini might even be considered the finest melodist in the world.This melodic gift, along with the general facility Sacchini found in composing music, was undoubtedly the result of his upbringing amid the flourishing Neapolitan school of opera.From the beginning, however, Sacchini revealed a tendency to distance himself from the more hackneyed features of the Italian operatic tradition. "Only rarely did he adhere to the completeda capoform, but he often made use of altered versions of this basic plan. He also made frequent use of a cavatina-like two-part aria that approximates to the A portion of the da capo form, and of the vocalrondò,in both comic and serious works. "However, it was only when he became part of "an international musical milieu and with the acquisition of a much broader and more diverse experience that Sacchini's finest qualities achieved complete maturity."This is true above all of the period in Paris, when he "strengthened his own style with an obviously Gluckian influence, which was not, however, strong enough to cancel out his melodic and sensuous gifts", which derived from the Italian tradition, "while his orchestral palette was also enriched by new and vivid colours, which frequently anticipated many aspects of the futureRomantic movement."The most characteristic work in this respect is undoubtedlyŒdipe à Colone,but the description also applies toDardanus:"these are operas in which every element lacking a dramatic function has been removed. Accompaniedrecitatives,ariososand arias blend naturally into one another...[giving life] to scenes whose unity is guaranteed by the use of the same thematic material...the combination ofcavatinaandcabalettais particularly successful, and it was destined to become a common feature of opera in the following century...[finally] the choral scenes, alternating chorus and soloists, are highly effective, on the one hand revealing the influence of Gluck, and on the other showing the way forward to thegrand operaofSpontini."Writing inGrove,David DiChieraconcludes, "With his masterpiece,Œdipe,Sacchini admirably achieved a synthesis of Italian melodic style and Gluckian principles within a French dramatic framework ".

Works

Unless otherwise stated in the footnotes, the following list of Sacchini's works is drawn from the "biographical summary" by Georges Sauvé (Sauvé 2006).The list of works is still incomplete, mainly as far as non-operatic music is concerned.

Operas

Title	Genre	Acts	Premiere (place)	Premiere (date)	Revisions and notable revivals
Fra Donato	intermezzo	2 acts	Naples	1756
Il giocatore	intermezzo		Naples	1757
Olimpia tradita	commedia		Naples	1758
Il copista burlato	commedia		Naples	1759
La vendemmia	intermezzo	1 act	Rome	1760	Revised forBarcelonain 1767
Il testaccio	opera buffa		Rome	1760
I due fratelli beffati	commedia		Naples	1760
Andromaca	opera seria		Naples	30 May 1761
La finta contessa	farsetta		Rome	1761
Li due bari	opera buffa		Naples	1762
L'amore in campo	dramma giocoso	2 acts	Rome	1762
Alessandro Severo	opera seria	3 acts	Venice	Carnival 1763
Alessandro nell'Indie	opera seria		Venice	1763
Olimpiade	opera seria	3 acts	Padua	1763	Revived in Paris in 1777 as apasticciowith music by Sacchini, under the titleL'olympiade,to a translation by N.E. Framery
Semiramide riconosciuta	opera seria	3 acts	Rome	1764
Eumene	opera seria		Florence	1764
Lucio Vero	opera seria		Naples	4 November 1764	Partly revived in London in 1773 as a pasticcio
Il finto pazzo per amore	intermezzo	2 acts	Rome	1765	Multiple revivals
Creso	opera seria	3 acts	Naples	1765	Revised for London in 1774 and, under the new title ofEuriso,in 1781
La contadina in corte	opera buffa		Rome	1765	Multiple revivals (London, 1782)
L'isola d'amore	dramma giocoso	2 acts	Rome	1766	Revived in Paris in 1775, to a translation by N.E. Framery entitledLa colonie,as a pasticcio with music by Sacchini, in the form of anopéra-comique. The original Italian version was also revised for London in 1776 while the French one was furtherly reworked in German in 1779
Le contadine bizzarre			Milan	1766
Artaserse	opera seria	3 acts	Rome	1768
Il Cidde	opera seria	3 acts	Roma	1769
Nicoraste	opera seria	3 acts	Venice	1769
Scipione in Cartagena	opera seria		Munich	8 January 1770
Calliroe	opera seria		Ludwigsburg	1770
L'eroe cinese	opera seria		Munich	1770
Adriano in Siria	opera seria		Venice	1770
Ezio	opera seria		Naples	1771
Armida	opera seria	3 acts	Milan and Florence	1772	Revised for London in 1780 asRinaldo
Vologeso	opera seria		Parma	1772
Il Cid	opera seria		London	19 January 1773
Tamerlano	opera seria		London	1773
Perseo	opera seria	3 acts	London	1774
Nitteti	opera seria	3 acts	London	1774
Montezuma	opera seria	3 acts	London	1775
Didone abbandonata	opera seria		London	1775
Erifile	opera seria	3 acts	London	1778
L'amore soldato	dramma giocoso	3 acts	London	1778	Revived in Paris in 1779 (Sacchini's debut at the Paris Opéra)
L'avaro deluso, o Don Calandrino	dramma giocoso	3 acts	London	1778
Enea e Lavinia	opera seria	3 acts	London	1779
Mitridate	opera seria		London	1781
Rosina			London	1783
Renaud	opéra (tragédie lyrique)	3 acts	Paris	1783
Chimène	tragédie lyrique	3 acts	Fontainebleau	1783
Dardanus	tragédie	4 acts	Paris	1784
Œdipe à Colone	tragédie lyrique	3 acts	Versailles	4 January 1786
Arvire et Évélina (unfinished, completed byJean-Baptiste Rey)	tragédie lyrique	3 acts	Paris	1788

Operas written in collaboration with other musicians

In this section are listed the operas containing original music by Sacchini and by other composers.

• Niccolò Piccinni
  • Le donne dispettose(Naples, 1754) (uncertain)
  • Le trame per amore(Naples 1759) (uncertain)
  • Il curioso imprudente(Naples, 1761)
  • La massara spiritosa(Naples, 1761)
  • Il Cavalier partigiano(Naples, 1762)
• Fedele Fenaroli
  • I due sediarii(Naples, 1759)
• Baldassare Galuppi
  • Villano(Venice?, 1762?)
• Tommaso Giordani
  • Le vicende della sorte(1770)

Instrumental music

Nearly all instrumental music published by Antonio Sacchini dates from his London years (1772–1781). Most of the works listed below, first published in London, were later reprinted in Paris and elsewhere.

• 2sinfoniasprinted in Paris in 1767
• PeriodicalOverturen. 49,in 8 parts, Bremner, London, 1776
• 6trio sonatas,for twoviolinsandbasso continuo,Op. 1, London, Bremner, 1775
• 6string quartets,Op. 2, London 1778
• 6sonatasforharpsichordorpianoand violin, Op. 3, London, 1779
• 6 sonatas for harpsichord or piano and violin (2nd set of favourite lessons), Op. 4, London, 1780

Sacred music

Sacchini's sacred works were composed for the most part during his directorship at the conservatoire of the Ospedaletto in Venice. Significantly, all Venice compositions are in majortonality.

• 1761Gesù presentato al tempio,oratorio,Naples
• 1764L'umiltà esaltata,oratorio, Naples
• 1766L'abbandono delle richezze di San Filippo Neri,oratorio,Bologna
• 1768II popolo di Giuda liberato della morte per intercessione della regina Esther,oratorio, Venice
• 1768Magnificatin D major, Venice
• 1768Salve Reginain G major,antiphon,Venice
• 1768Fremo gemendo in poenain B major,psalm,Venice
• 1768Sicut lilia in valle amoenain F major, psalm, Venice
• 1769Massin D major (Kyrie, gloria), Venice
• 1769Te Deumin D major, Venice
• 1769Habet amor suas procellasin D major, Venice
• 1769Aurae de caeloin B major, Venice
• 1769Charitas omnia vincit(modi sacri),motet,Venice
• 1769Paventi ut nautaein G major, psalm, Venice
• 1770Salve Reginain F major,hymn(antiphon), Venice
• 1770Machabaeorum mater,azione sacra(actio sacra), Venice
• 1771Ave Regina caelorumin F major, hymn (antiphon), Venice
• 1771O quam carae et quam beatae silvae,psalm, Venice
• 1771Jephtes sacrificiumazione sacra (actio sacra), Venice
• 1772Misererein Emajor, psalm, Venice
• 1772Regina caeliin D major, antiphon, Venice
• 1772Missa solemnisin D major (Kyrie, gloria, credo), Venice
• 1772Cor serba te fidelemin F major, psalm, Venice
• 1772Nuptiae Ruth,azione sacra (actio sacra), Venice
• 1786Juditta,oratorio, Paris

Undated, but traceable back to the Venetian period (1768–1772)

• Ave Regina caelorumin Emajor, hymn (antiphon), Venice
• Regina caeliin B major, antiphon, Venice

Salon vocal music

Georges Sauvé reports that there exist "numerous works not yet catalogued, in Italy, in London (including nine 1775duets), in Paris, in Dublin, ariettas which were published long after his death,arias,cantatas... "There also existsFanny Bazin's Music Book,a completely unpublished handwritten collection by Antonio Sacchini, dating back to 1785 and currently belonging to Sauvé himself, a descendant of Madame Bazin. It contains 19 melodies (16 for piano and soprano, 1 for piano solo, 1 duet for two sopranos and a quartet), and is due to be published by ELPE-Musique (Le Cahier de musique de Fanny Bazin). The book was used in the lessons Sacchini gave to the 11-year-old Bazin at the behest of Queen Marie Antoinetteand "is witness to the refinement and intensity of the artistic life that Queen Marie Antoinette shared with those close to her".

Sources

Bibliography

• Caruselli, Salvatore (ed.).Grande enciclopedia della musica lirica(in Italian). Rome: Longanesi & C. Periodici.
• DiChiera, David(1997). "Sacchini, Antonio (Maria Gasparo Gioacchino)". InStanley Sadie(ed.).The New Grove Dictionary of Opera.Vol. IV. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 114–116.ISBN978-0-19-522186-2.
• Dorsi, Frabrizio; Rausa, Giuseppe (2000).Storia dell'opera italiana(in Italian). Turin: B. Mondadori.ISBN978-88-424-9408-9.
• Florimo, Francesco(1869).Cenno storico sulla scuola musicale di Napoli. Del Cavalier Francesco Florimo, archivista del Real Collegio di musica in S. Pietro a Majella(in Italian). Naples: Lorenzo Rocco.
• Jullien, Adolphe (1878).La Cour et l'Opéra sous Louis XVI. Marie-Antoinette et Sacchini Salieri Favart et Gluck. D'après des documents inédits conservés aux Archives de l'État et à l'Opéra(in French). Paris: Librairie Académique (Didier).OL14017446M.
• Lajarte, Théodore de(1878).Bibliothèque Musicale du Théatre de l'Opéra. Catalogue Historique, Chronologique, Anecdotique(in French). Vol. I. Paris: Librairie des bibliophiles.
• Pitou, Spire (1985).The Paris Opéra. An Encyclopedia of Operas, Ballets, Composers, and Performers – Rococo and Romantic, 1715–1815.Westport/London: Greenwood Press.ISBN0-313-24394-8.
• Sauvé, Georges (2006).Antonio Sacchini 1730–1786 – Un musicien de Marie-Antoinette – Bréviaire biographique(in French). Paris: L'Harmattan.ISBN2-296-01994-3.

Online sources

• (in Italian)Dizionario dell'opera(article onRenaud)
• (in French)ELPE-Musique:Œdipe à Colone
• This article contains material translated from theequivalent articlein the Italian Wikipedia

External links

• Free scores by Antonio Sacchiniat theInternational Music Score Library Project(IMSLP)
• Free scores by Antonio Sacchiniin theChoral Public Domain Library(ChoralWiki)
• Literature by and about Antonio Sacchiniin theGerman National Librarycatalogue