Pergolesi, Giovanni Battista

Pergolesi, Giovanni Battista (jōvän'nē bät-tēs'tä pārgōlā'zē) [key], 1710–36, Italian composer of the Neapolitan school. Although he died at the age of 26, he is credited with masterpieces in two fields of music: La serva padrona (The Maid as Mistress, c.1733), an intermezzo, or short comic opera; and a setting of the Stabat Mater for treble voices and strings. His fame rests chiefly on the popularity of La serva padrona, although much of his best music is contained in two serious operas, Salustia (1732) and L'Olimpiade (1735).

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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