Gasparini Quirino

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Gasparini Quirino

Gasparini, Quirino, Italian composer; b. Gandino, near Bergamo, 1721; d. Turin, Sept. 30, 1778. He studied with G. A. Fioroni in Milan, and later was a student of Martini. After pursuing his career in various Italian music centers, he was appointed maestro di cappella at Turin Cathedral in 1760. During Mozart’s travels in Italy in 1771, he met Gasparini. Gasparini was held in high esteem by his contemporaries. He wrote the operas Artaserse (Milan, Dec. 26, 1756) and Mitridate re di Ponto (Turin, Jan. 31, 1767), the latter serving as inspi-ration for Mozart’s opera. His motet Adoramus te,K.327/Anh.A10 was attributed to Mozart until H. Spies established it as a work by Gasparini in 1922. His output included much sacred music and a number of instrumental pieces.

—Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire