ItalianComposersandFreemasonry:Pointsofresearchandfurtherstudy

byGiorgioB.

[lecturepresentedduringthemeetingofLodgeSantaCecilia180heldinRome28thSeptember2013]

In the century between the constitution of the Grand Lodge of England (1717) and theRestoration(CongressofVienna,1814)morethanadozenItaliancomposersjoinedFreemasonry.Almostallofthemlivedandworkedawayfromtheirhomelandsothereisoftenconfusionovertheirbiographiesand truenationality.Paris, LondonandVienna,aswell asBerlinandMoscow,werethemajorEuropeancapitalswhichreceivedthesegreatartists.

Apart from the composition, most of them had developed an exceptional technique in theinstrumentalplayingoftheviolin,thepiano,theflute,andhadfoundinagreatstimulusfortheiractivitywithinFreemasonryatthetime.AlmostsimultaneouslyinLondonandParis,promotionsof Chamber Music arose within the brotherhood as a contrast to Opera, for its high costsinevitably linked to themonarchy and to religiousmusic, the exclusive preserve of the church.Notonlythat,itisintheformoftheduo,trio,quartetandquintetthatthosevaluesofbeautyandperfection supportedby freemasonrywere expressed at their best: not tomention, the almostsymbiotic relationship which is established within a small chamber group that can be rightlycomparedtothesentimentsofbrotherhoodwithinaLodge.

On 18 February 1725, brethren from theQueen's Head Lodge in London founded the SocietasPhilomusicae et architecturae Apollinis (The Apollo Society for the Lovers of Music andArchitecture)LodgebasedinHollisStreet,closetoOxfordSquare.Theofficeofperpetualdictatoris taken on by Xaverio Francesco Geminiani (Lucca 1687 - Dublin 1762) a Tuscan violinist andcomposerwhoarrivedinLondonin1714andwasthefirstItaliantobeinitiatedintoFreemasonryon1February1725 in theQueen'sHeadLodge. Under theprotectionofApollo, thesemodernbuildersofharmoniesgatheredtogetherandmaintainedastrongbondwiththeancientbuildersof cathedrals. The Company proposed concerts of chamber music in the new form ofsubscriptions which was a great success and is still today the main source of income for theconcerthallsandoperahouses.

TheLodgeMinuteBookof thePhilomusicaeLodge from its foundationuntil23rdMarch1727 isstillkeptandanarticleintheEarlyMusicmagazinein2010analysedtheactivityandfateofthisassociationindetail.1Geminianiwasahighlyesteemedviolinistandhissonatasandhisconcertsarestillpartoftheviolinrepertoire.In1732wefindthismanfromLuccainPariswhereheplayedin 16 concerts for theConcert Spirituel, a concert company createdwithin the FrenchMasonicworld which promoted itsmusical activity during the period of Lent and on Religious HolidayswhentheOpéraandtheothertheatresofmelodramawereclosed.

In 1754 another Italian violinist, Gaetano Pugnani (Turin 1731 - Turin 1798) performed at theConcertSpirituel.ApupiloftherenownedGiuseppeTartinihearrivedinParisforatournéeasavirtuoso.HisrelationshipwithFreemasonryiscertain,inthatheisquotedin1768andin1771in1A.Pink,“Amusicclubforfreemasons:PhilomusicaeetarchitecturaesocietasApollinis,London,1725-1727”inEarlyMusic,n°38,2010.

therecordsoftheSaintJeandelaMysterieuseLodgeinTurin.ThisLodgewasfoundedin1765bythe Savoyard Lodge Saint Jean des troisMortierswhichmet in Chambery. Between 1767 and1770, Pugnaniwent to London several times andhe came into contactwith thebest-knownofBach'ssons,JohannChristianandwithFeliceGiardini(Turin1716–Moscow1796)bothlinkedtoFreemasonryinLondon. Apartfromthese importanttrips,heremainedcloselyattachedtothecityofTurinwherehefirstheldthepositionofFirstViolinattheKing’sChapelandlateritsMusicalDirector.

Thecompositionwhichshows,mostofall,thestrongbondbetweenPugnaniandFreemasonryisundoubtedlythemelodramaintwopartsentitledWerther,believedtohavebeenlost2untilthe1880s,butfortunatelyfoundinthearchivesoftheGesellschaftderMusikfreundeinVienna.Thepiece of work sets to music two episodes taken from the famous novel of Brother JohannWolfgangvonGoethe,TheSorrowsofYoungWerther.ThereputationofthiscomposerfromTurintoday is due, however, from a transcript that another great violinist, the Austrian Fritz Kreisler(1875-1962)madewiththecelebrated"PreludeandAllegrointhestyleofPugnani"forViolinandPiano.

ThepreviouslymentionedFeliceGiardiniisindicatedasacandidateforInitiationintheMinutesoftheLondonLodge,TheNineMuses,dated12thMarch1778.Foundedin1777,theLodgeprobablywished to emulate the Parisian Les Neuf Soeurs constituted the year before. Giardini was aviolinistandcomposerandduringthethirtyyearshestayedinLondonwashighlyappreciatedbutaverydifferentwelcomewasreceivedinRussiawherehediedinextremepoverty.

It is in the Lodge LesNeuf Soeurs thatNicolò Piccinni (Bari 1728 - Parigi 1800)was initiated in1777. This Lodge too,whichwas founded in 1776 by the astronomer Jérôme de Lalande, hadamong its aims the promotion of ChamberMusic. It played a large part in the events of theAmericanWar of Independence, having amongst itsMasters the renowned Benjamin Franklin.PiccinniwasafamousoperacomposerandisrememberedinthehistoryofmusicasopposedtoGluckwhoisascribedforthereformofmodernmelodrama.BelovedbyQueenMarieAntoinette,hewasDirectoroftheItalianCompanyatl’OpérainParisandisjustlyconsideredonethegreatestItalianoperacomposersoftheeighteenthcentury.

AnotherLodgeintheFrenchcapital,OlympiquedelaParfaiteEstime,wasinchargeofpromotingtheconcertsandformedin1781theSociétéOlympique,whichby1786numbered438membersandevenanorchestraof52musicians.ItisthisCompanythatmakesknowntotheFrenchpublicanother great Italian violinist, Giovan Battista Viotti (Fontanetto Po 1755 - Londra 1824) fromVercelli,whowasapupilofPugnani. AViolinistattheRoyalChapelofTurin,hetouredEuropefollowinghisteacher,butwhentheycomebacktoPiedmont,ViottidecidestomovetoParisandthentoLondonwherehetookrefugeduringtheFrenchRevolution.

In1783heisattributedasamemberoftheParisianLodgeSaintJeand’EcosseduContratSocialfoundedin1766;in1786ViottiisregisteredintheLodgeOlympiquedelaParfaiteEstime.

2A.Basso,“MusicistimassoniinPiemontenell’etànapoleonica”,inLibertàemodernizzazione.MassoniinItalianell’etànapoleonica,Roma1996

Viottiisrememberedaboveallforthe29ConcertosforViolinandOrchestra,inwhichheshowsamasterlymanagementofthetimbralcapabilityofthevariousinstrumentsaswellasthevirtuosityandlyricismofthesoloinstrument.

In London he intensifies his relationship with Freemasonry until founding in 1813 the LondonPhilharmonicSociety,alongwithanothermusicianandItalianFreemason,MuzioClementi. Evenin this case itwas treatedas aCompany forpromotingMusic, equippedwithanorchestra anddestinedtobecomeoneoftheleadingculturalinstitutionsintheUnitedKingdomunderthenewnameoftheRoyalPhilharmonicSociety.Thefirstconcertorganizedbythiscompanywasheldon8thMarch1813withMuzioClementiatthepianoandNicolasMorionViolin;performingmusicbyHaydnandBeethoven.Overtheyears,composersandconductorsofthehighestprofilesuchasBeethoven, Mendellsohn, Spohr, Wagner, Berlioz, Tchaikovsky to the contemporaries Solti,AbbadoandBarenboim,haveallcollaboratedwiththeRoyalPhilharmonicSociety.

MuzioClementi(Rome1752-Evesham1832)leftItalyveryyoungin1766whenhewasbroughttoDorsetbyawealthyEnglishman,SirPeterBeckford,wholookedafterhisstudyinginexchangefordelighting his social evenings on the keyboard. Free from his obligations towards Sir Peter,ClementigoestoLondonin1774wherehisreputationgrowsyearafteryearwiththepublicationof numerous sonatas for piano, still a set piece for piano studies. 1781 is the year in whichClementiopposedMozartinamusicalduelattheAustrianCourtofEmperorJosephIIinVienna.Itisalsowell-knownaboutthejudgementwhichMozartreservedfortheRomanpianistinaletterwhichwaspublishedafterhisdeath,inwhichhedescribesthestyleofClementioverlytechnicalandbrandshimasavirtuosoofarpeggios3. Infact,Mozartwasforcedtofeedsomeadmirationfor the Romanwhen, in the Overture TheMagic Flute – coincidentally theMasonic opera parexcellence–heexplicitlymentionsathemefromtheSonataop.24n°2inBflatbyClementi.

In 1785, yet another Italianmusician arrived in Paris; this time the Florentine, Luigi Cherubini,(Florence 1760 - Paris 1842). He soon became a room-mate of Giovan Battista Viotti whopromotedhimtothemajormusicalcirclesofthecity.In1786,ViotticommissionedCherubiniforthe Cantata L’Alliance de la Musique à la Maçonnerie. Cantate. Amphion, élévant les Murs deThèbesausondelalyrewhichhadtobeproducedwithintheprogramoftheOlympiqueLodge.

In fact, for problems not yet ascertained, the world premier of Amphion was only on 9thSeptember2012onoccasionoftheSagraMusicaleUmbrainPerugia.Therearetwohypothesesastowhyitwasputaside:accordingtoone,thescorewastoocomplexforasmallinstrumentalensembleoftheLodge;accordingtoothers,thecantatarequiresachoruswithfemalevoicesandFrench Freemasonry at that timedid not admitwomen. Amphion, fromGreekmythology, is acheerfulcantataonthevalueofmusic;itanticipatesinmanyrespects,theoperaDémophoon,alsobyCherubini,successsfullyrepresentedsometwentyyearsagoinRome.Itrequiresalyricaltenorwho knows how, in certain moments, to carry a very skilled orchestra of wind and brassinstrumentsandasmallchoirinamannertomakeitseemenormous.In1789wefindthename

3Anarpeggioisamusicaltechniquewherenotesinachordareplayedinsequence,oneaftertheother,ratherthanringingoutsimultaneously.

of Cherubini amongst the composers promoted by the Société Olympique which puts onto itsbillboardsthecantataCircé,probablyonceagainthankstotheinterventionofViotti.

Parisisthedestinationofthepopularoperacomposer,GaspareSpontini(Maiolati1774-Maiolati1851),fromtheMarchesin1803.

Highly regarded also as a conductor, Spontini is encouragedbyNapoleon and especially by theEmpressJosephine.InthefirsttenyearsoftheLondonPhilharmonicSocietySpontini'smusicwasalwayspresent.From1820to1841heisinBerlinwherehebecametheFirstKapellmeisteratthecourtofFrederickWilliamIIIofPrussia.Duringtheseyearshewasconstantlywritingtohiswife,CelesteErardandwithConstanzeMozart,thewidowinsecondmarriagewithGeorgeNissen,thefirstbiographerofWolfgangMozart.Gettingolderhereturnstohisnativecountryin1850whena year later he dies leaving all his wealth to the nursing home, theHouse of Children and theMontediPieta’forthepoorinJesiandMaiolati.

Ofthosemusiciansdealtwithsofar,officialdocumentshavebeenfoundorcertainevidencehasbeenavailabletoprovetheiradherencetoFreemasonry;notsofortheofficialcomposeroftheHabsburgCourt from1774 to1824;AntonioSalieri (Legnago1750 -Vienna1825). FilmographyhasmadeAntonioSalieriasthegreatadversaryofW.A.Mozart,proposingthathewasinvolvedintheassassinationoftheyoungtalentedcomposer.Inreality,atthebehestofEmperorJosephII,the twoworked shoulder to shoulderonnumerousoccasionsand itwouldnotbewonder thatthey shared deeper ideals. Salieri worked continuously for 50 years in the service of theHabsburgsandalwaysfollowedwithzealthepolitical-masonicwishoftheEmperor. Thereisnocertainty that the Venetian composerwas initiated, for sure hewaswell acquaintedwith thearguments and projects of the masonic thinkers of his time. One incident among many isenlightening; in 1786 Salieri went to Paris on the orders of the Emperor where he begancollaboratingwith themasonic scholar, PierreBeaumerchais. Tararewas the titleof theoperawithmusicbySalieriwhichwasproduced.ThestoryisofhowtheSpiritofNatureandtheSpiritofFiregottiredofthecorruptedhumanraceanddecidedtostartanewbycreatingnewones.TheyarbitrarilymadeoneaKingandtheotherhisslave-turned-soldier.

The dread produced by the French Revolution throughout Europe forced several States to bansecret organisations and amongst these, even Freemasonry. In the Italian States, the Lodgesreappearedafterabout20yearsthankstothepresenceoftheNapoleonicsoldiers.Firstofalltheso-calledCastrenseormilitaryLodgeswereformedwhichweretiedtothemilitarycompaniesinoneorotherofthecitiesandlateronthenormalLodgeswereformed,eventheGrandOrientofItalywhichwas officially constituted in 1805. On the 27th December 1808, during the generalorganisationofthenewinstitution,theformallinkbetweentheGrandOrientofFranceandtheGrandOrientofItalywasmadeatameetingheldinMilanatwhichBro.NiccolòPaganini(Genova1782-Nizza1840)directedtheColumnofHarmonywithhismasonicodebasedonthewordsofF.Lancetti,themusicalscoreofwhichunfortunatelyhasnotcometolight.

The talent and virtuosity of the violinist Paganini are still today considered as outstanding andmany of his compositions for violin can be performed only by a few because of the technicaldifficulty.Hisnameiscommonlylinkedtoanimprobable“pactwiththedevil”,anaccusationthat

didnotallowhim tobeburied inconsecratedgroundwhendeathovertookhim inNiceafteralongillnesstohisthroat.Hisson,Achille,bornillegitimatelywiththesingerAntoniaBianchifromComo,haspassionatelykepttheoperasandmemoriesofthegreatviolinist.ThestrengthofmindwhichdistinguishedPaganiniinthelastyearsofhislife,victimofanincurabletubercularlaringitis,isundoubtedlyatopicyettobestudiedinordertounderstandtheextenttowhichFreemasonryinfluencedhisearthlyexistence.

To conlude thiswork there are two pairs of composerswhose reputations remain inseperable:GiuseppeVerdiandArrigoBoito,GiacomoPucciniandFrancoAlfano.

Despite a host of infinite studies, there is very littl known about the masonic membership ofGiuseppe Verdi (Roncole di Busseto 1813 - Milano 1901). Recently, however, a short butsignificantessayhasbeenreleasedwhichanalysesamusicalepisodeinthelastpartofFalstaff.4The main character, an old man, bald with a big belly who tried to seduce two nice ladies isbroughtintoatraptopunishhisinappropriatebehaviour.Invitedtoshowupatmidnightinthewoodsforanamorousadventurehefindsanotherreceptionfromothersinvitedanddressedupassylvanspirits.ProfessorTessadrellioffersadeepreadingofthe13musicalbeatsinwhichtheepisode is developed from the soundof the bells atmidnight. First of all it emphasises a closeresemblance with the introduction of the so-called “Quartet of the discordances” thatMozartcomposedontheoccasionoftheInitiationofhisfriendHaydnandsecondlytheperformanceofthetollingofthe13insteadof12barsisreadasatriumphoverthefatefulmoment.“ThetwelvechimesannounceariteofInitiationthesymbollicallyspeakstousofthesacrificethatisoperatedcontinuouslybytheforcesoflifeanddeath.”

ArrigoBoito(Padova1842-Milano1918)wasthelibrettistofFalstaff,asofmanyotherworksandhewasalsothecomposer.Fomthecritics,hewasaaverycontroversialauthorandthereareverydifferentopinionsofhisopera. It isBoitohimself, throughthepagesof theMilanesemagazine“Perseveranze”thathepubliclyannouncedhisPassingtoaFellowCrafton13thSeptember1863.

AlthoughinhisoperaReOrso(KingBear)hetendstoexplain“Neitherawisemotto,norlearnedaphorism . . . . .” thewhole Boitan opera is full ofmasonic thought aswell as alchemical andgnostic.SimontheSorceror,TheOuroboros,theDemiurge,Lucifer,theSefirotharejustsomeofthe themes that appear repeatedly in his stories in his books and, not least, in his musicalproductions. His early biographers tied his Masonic membership only to the anti Austrianconspiraciesovertheyears1850/60andthesecretsocietiesinspiredbyFreemasonry.Recently,theAssociation“FriendsofArrigoBoito”hasbeen trying topromoteand improve the imageofthisgreatmanofculture,butIwasverysurprisedatthesnappyattitudebehindbyproposalforafuture in-depth study on the true relationship between Boito and Freemasonry. We have toinvestigate!

ThelastoperabyGiacomoPuccini(Lucca1858-Brussels1924)issetinChina,orratherintheFarEast.Turandot,thebeautifuldaughteroftheEmperor,willbecomeabrideonlytothePrincewhoisabletoresolvethreeriddles;anywronganswerresultsindeath.Withintheopera,atrueand

4L.Tessadrelli,“IdodicirintocchidellamezzanotteinFalstaffbyGiuseppeVerdi”,in“Saràunprogresso”…tornandoaVerdi,editedbyTeresaCamellini,2010

properInitiationjourneycanbeseenalmostonaparwithMozart’sMagicFlute.Calaf,thesuitor,hastopassaseriesof testsandonlythankstotheunjustdeathof thebeautifulslavegirlLiu isabletoreachTurandot,whoattheend,isalmosttransfiguredbychangingthebadcharacterintoanaffectionateappearance.TheterriblediseasewhichstruckPuccinididnotallowhimtofinishthe opera which was then completed by Franco Alfano (Naples 1876 - Sanremo 1954). Hismembership inaNeapolitanLodgeoftheGrandOrientof Italy iscertainashereachedthe33rdDegreeintheAncientandAcceptedScottishRite.Labelledbycriticsasa“verismo”composerforsomeofhis youthfuloperaswhichwere successful,Alfanodevelopedhisown language in timeandthemostrecentworkshaveyettobestudiedandconsideredintheirpropercontext.

Many other Italianmusicians could have been included in thiswork, but itwas not considerednecessarytodosoorbecausetheywerelittlemorethanamateurs,orbecauselittleisknown,andprobablyitishardtoknowoftheirlivesandcontactswithFreemasonry.

In2012avaluableCDwasreleasedinwhichworksbySpontini,Berlioz,Puccini,andSibeliuswerepresented, combining them with those of contemporary composers, apparently close toFreemasonry.Thisisundoubtedlyasuccessfulexperimentthatcombinesmusicbygenres,epochsandstyles,andthatgoestoshowtheextenttowhichthevaluesofourOrderareabletobringtogetherdistantbrethreninspaceandtimetowardsthecommongoalofPurebeauty.

Translationby:R.W.Bro.P.NicholasE.-C.

Thepersonalitiesmentioned:

FrancescoSaverioGeminiani

GaetanoPugnani

GiuseppeTartini

JohannWolfgangvonGoethe

FeliceGiardini

NicolòPiccinni

GiovanBattistaViotti

MuzioClementi

LuigiCherubini

GaspareSpontini

AntonioSalieri

NiccolòPaganini

GiuseppeVerdi

ArrigoBoito

GiacomoPuccini

FrancoAlfano