A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Basili, Domenico

by Franz Gehring

BASILI, or BASILY, Domenico Andrea, chapel-master at Loreto in the middle of last century. He died in 1775. Santini's collection contained works by him; and a set of twenty-four studies of his for the clavier, entitled 'Musica universale,' etc. was printed by Alessandri of Venice, and is not without merit. His son Francesco was born in 1766, and on the death of his father the boy was sent to Rome and became a scholar of Jannaconi. While still young he was made chapel-master at Foligno. His first appearance in opera was at Milan, in 'La bella incognita,' when he was twenty-two. For Rome he wrote 'La Locandiera' (1789); for Florence 'Achille nell' assedio di Troja' (1798) and the 'Ritorno d'Ulysse' (1799), and for Venice 'Antigono.' Later he became chapel-master at Macerata, and wrote a large number of comic operas for Venice, not all equally successful. He then made a rich marriage, which enabled him to give up work, but the marriage turned out unhappy, and after a separation, in 1816, he returned to his former post at Loreto. For the San Carlo at Naples Basili composed an oratorio, 'Sansone,' in which Lablache sang the chief part. A requiem which he had written for Jannaconi was performed on March 23, 1816, at the Apostles' Church in Rome. In 1827 he was appointed director of the Conservatorio at Milan, where it was his fortune to refuse admission to Verdi. In August 1837 he was called to Rome to take the place of chapel-master at St. Peter's, vacant by the death of Fioravanti, and remained there till his own death on March 25, 1850. While at Rome he was made very unhappy by his inability with the means at his disposal to perform the great masterpieces of old Italian church music. If supported in his wish a great revival might have been accomplished, but with Basili the last hope of a resurrection of Italian church music has perished, a doom which neither Rossini nor Verdi—whose style the rigid Basili would hardly have approved—have done much to avert. In addition to many operas, besides those already named, and much church music, Basili composed symphonies in the style of Haydn, one of which used often to be played at Brussels under Fétis' conducting, and always with great applause.

[ F. G. ]