In his day, Johann Adolph Hasse was at the forefront of Italian opera. Although he composed a fair amount of sacred works, he is best known for his operatic output. He was widely popular throughout Italy and Germany, and was commissioned by courts and opera houses throughout Europe. His performances were attended by cultural figures at the time, as well as some of the biggest names in common-era music today. In his later life, styles changed and so Hasse’s acclaim diminished after his death. But generations later, he was re-established as a figurehead and icon of classic ancient Italian opera, a designation he possesses even today.
Biography & Musical Output
Johann Adolph Hasse was born on March 25th, 1699, in Bergedorf, Germany. His family consisted of German church musicians and Hasse received his first musical education from his father. His great grandfather, Peter Hasse, had once held the position of organist at the Marienkirche in Lübeck and had gained some attention as a composer. Johann's grandfather, father, and brother, each held the position of organist at Bergedorf. Due to family connections, his father was administrator of a local charity intended for the poor of Bergedorf and it was this same charity which enabled fifteen-year-old Hasse to travel to Hamburg to study voice between 1714 and 1717. As a gifted tenor, he chose a theatrical career and in 1718, came under the operatic instruction of Richard Keiser in the Hamburg Opera.
Hasse's success led to a performance at the court of Brunswick, and it was there that he made his debut as a composer with the opera Antioco in 1723. The success of this first work awarded him favor with the duke who eventually sent Hasse to Italy for the completion of his studies, and in ...
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...tion through voice selection and harmonic function. Hasse has returned to his celebrated status as we remember him in modern times for his influence and formation of the classic opera form.
Works Cited
Drummond, Pippa; “The Concertos of Johann Adolf Hasse.” Proceedings of the Royal Musical Association, Vol. 99, Iss. 1, 1972.
Anderson, Rick. "Johann Adolf Hasse. (Sound Recording Reviews)." Notes 58.4 (2002): 902. Academic OneFile. Web. 14 Mar. 2014.
Charlton, David. “Johann Adolf Hasse” 2000. Classical Net. 2000. Web. 14 Mar. 2014.
"Johann Adolph Hasse". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2014. Web. 14 Mar. 2014
“Johanne Adolphe Hasse”. NNDB. NNDB Online. Soylent Communications, 2014. Web. 14 Mar. 2014.
Janice B. Stockigt, Jan Dismas Zelenka, 1679 – 1745: A Bohemian Musician at the Court of Dresden (Oxford, 2000)
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Rosowsky, Solomon. “The Music of the Pentateuch.” Proceedings of the Musical Association. Manchester: Royal Musical Association, 1934. pp. 38-66. Print.
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Newman, Ernest “Bach, Johann Sebastian.” The International Cyclopedia of Music and Musicians, 1985, 11th Edition, pp. 102-108
Mann, Thomas. Doctor Faustus: the life of the German composer Adrian Leverkühn as told by a friend. Trans. John E. Woods. New York: Vintage Books, Random House, Inc., 1999.
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Kenyon, Nicholas. “Max Bruch (1838-1920).” The BBC Proms Pocket Guide to Great Concertos. London: Faber and Faber, 2003. 60-62. Print.
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