Domènec

Domènec Terradellas

Domènec Miquel Bernabé Terradellas - Domenico Terradeglias

Barcelona , 13 February 1713
Rome , 20 May 1751

Composer

Most probably he was a pupil of Francesc Valls in Barcelona. In 1732, he moved to Naples and studied at the Conservatorio dei Poveri di Gesù Cristo (together with Pergolesi) under Francesco Durante and Gaetano Greco. The premiere of his oratorio Giuseppe riconosciuto (based on a libretto by Metastasio) in 1736 was the starting point of an operatic career that led him to premiere operas in the most important theatres in London and Italy. In Rome, he premiered Astarto in 1739 and achieved great success in 1743 with Merope. After moving to London in 1746, he premiered Mitriade and Bellerofonte and arranged a pasticcio for the King's Theater. Back to Italy, shortly after the premiered in Rome of his last opera Sesostri re d'Egitto, he died in strange circumstances. His music is considered a fundamental to the development of the classical style, together with the operas by J.A. Hasse or N. Jommelli. He was mentioned by the French encyclopaedists and by Charles Burney.