The Life and Music of Nicola Matteis
Nicola Matteis
The violinist, guitar player and composer Nicola Matteis was born in 1650 in Naples. He didn`t stay long in Italy. Already at twenty, he felt the urge to travel northwards, crossing Germany barefoot and arriving in 1670 in London. Revolutionary England, slumbering away to the music of nice little gamba consorts, allowed Matteis to take it by storm. The whole pallet of human emotions, the drama of human existence was musically presented by the Italian to utter excess. The contemporary biographer Roger North noted about one of Matteis’ concerts: “And when the raptures came[…]one would have thought the man beside himself. And then came his superior powers, an arcata as from the clouds, and after that a querolous expostulary style, as just not speaking, all which and other signall excellencys might then be perceived but now may not be described, so violent was his conference of extreams, whereof the like I never heard before or since..” For the restrained British this Italian demon violinist was truly revolutionary. Baroque Popstar In London Nicola Matteis initially met with incomprehension. He was accused of
The violinist, guitar player and composer Nicola Matteis was born in 1650 in Naples. He didn`t stay long in Italy. Already at twenty, he felt the urge to travel northwards, crossing Germany barefoot and arriving in 1670 in London. Revolutionary England, slumbering away to the music of nice little gamba consorts, allowed Matteis to take it by storm. The whole pallet of human emotions, the drama of human existence was musically presented by the Italian to utter excess. The contemporary biographer Roger North noted about one of Matteis’ concerts: “And when the raptures came[…]one would have thought the man beside himself. And then came his superior powers, an arcata as from the clouds, and after that a querolous expostulary style, as just not speaking, all which and other signall excellencys might then be perceived but now may not be described, so violent was his conference of extreams, whereof the like I never heard before or since..” For the restrained British this Italian demon violinist was truly revolutionary. Baroque Popstar In London Nicola Matteis initially met with incomprehension. He was accused of