The tradition of "Le tre ore di agonia" (The three hours of agony), prayers devoted to Jesus's death throes, originated in Peru and was spread to Europe by Jesuit Father Alonso Messia Bedoya.
Composer Biography
Simon Mayr found an important patron in Baron Thomas von Bassus, a co-founder of the Order of the Illuminati, who enabled his studies in Italy.
Composition History
Simon Mayr composed his "Invito" (Invitation) to precede Ferdinando Paër's Passion oratorio "Il Santo Sepolcro" for performance in the Italian tradition, as Haydn's "Seven Last Words" lacked a vocal introduction.
Critical Reception
A critic in 1822 noted that Ferdinando Paër was "too good an opera composer" to always avoid a theatrical style in his church music, though his oratorio "Il Santo Sepolcro" was praised for its variety and effective orchestration.
Composer Biography
Johann Simon Mayr, born in 1763, became known as one of the most famous opera composers of his time and was called the "father of Italian opera."
Composer Biography
Ferdinando Paër, a prominent Italian opera composer, was engaged by Napoleon in 1807 and worked in Paris until his death in 1839, including as director of the Théâtre italien.
Cultural Impact
Simon Mayr founded a music school in Bergamo in 1806, which later became a model for similar institutions across Italy and was named after his most famous pupil, Gaetano Donizetti.
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