Francesco Maria Veracini

A larger-than-life musical maverick with both attitude and ability in ample supply, composer/violinist Francesco Maria Veracini was sort of a rock star of the Baroque era. Born in 1690 in Florence, Italy, he was the grandson of violinist Francesco Veracini and the nephew of composer Antonio Veracini. As a child, he received lessons from his grandfather, later going to Rome to develop his gifts; he became an intimidatingly talented violinist and composer, but he was also known for his arrogance, wild temper, and unpredictable behavior. In his twenties, he traveled between Venice, London, and Dresden, working as a violinist and premiering his compositions, including his Violin Concerto in D Major (1712) and the oratorio Mosè al Mar Rosso (1715). He wrote a series of sonatas for Prince Friedrich Augustus of Saxony that helped sway him to bring Veracini to Dresden as a highly paid court composer/violinist. But in Dresden, Veracini was at such odds with his peers that there were violent conflicts, including an incident in which he jumped from a window, believing his life was in danger, and broke his leg. He left Dresden for Florence in 1723 and returned to London a decade later, where he became one of the city’s leading violinists and premiered his operas Adriano in Siria (1735), La Clemenza di Tito (1737), and Partenio (1738). In 1744, Veracini premiered both his last opera, Rosalinda, and his famed Sonate accademiche, Op. 2. His compositions were known for challenging Baroque convention, especially in his use of fugue and canon. During his final years, he concentrated on conducting; he died in Florence in 1768.