Photo: Hippolyte Pauquet (1797–1871) · Public domain · credits
Tier 2 · legacy legendfull biography
Niccolò Piccinni
Person · male · Bari · born 1728 · died 1800 · recording since 1995
Italian composer
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Also known as Niccolo Piccini · Niccolò Vito Piccinni · ニコロ・ピッチンニ
Timeline
6 events▣ Album 3◦ Birth 1† Death 1★ Debut release 1
1720s
1800s
1990s
· Debut release
Debut release: La buona figliola
First documented Album in the MusicBrainz discography.
source: musicbrainz
2000s
· Album
Album: Didon (Orchestra e Coro del Teatro Petruzzelli feat. conductor: Arnold Bosman)
Album
source: musicbrainz
Biography
English biography877 words · 4 sectionssource: wikipedia-en · licence CC BY-SA 4.0 · revision 1377338913
Biography
Niccolò Piccinni (Italian: [nikkoˈlɔ ppitˈtʃinni]; 16 January 1728 – 7 May 1800) was an Italian composer of symphonies, sacred music, chamber music, and opera. Although somewhat obscure today, Piccinni was at one time one of the most popular opera composers — particularly of the Neapolitan opera buffa — of the Classical period of music of the mid- to late-18th century.
Life
Piccinni was born in Bari, in the Apulia region of Italy. From the age of fourteen, he was educated at the Conservatory of San Onofrio by Leonardo Leo and Francesco Durante, due to the intervention of the Bishop of Bari. His father, although himself a musician, was opposed to his son following the same career.
Piccinni's first opera, Le donne dispettose, was produced in 1755 with the patronage of Prince Vintimille.
In 1756, Piccinni married a pupil of his, singer Vincenza Sibilla; he never allowed her to appear on the stage after their marriage.
In 1760 Piccinni composed, at Rome, the chef d'œuvre of his early life, La Cecchina, ossia la buona Figliuola, an opera buffa with a libretto by Carlo Goldoni, which "enjoyed a two-year run in Rome and was played in all the important European capitals. It can probably be called the most popular opera buffa of the 18th century...[even more than]... Pergolesi's La serva padrona...[and]... The first of the new era, culminating in the masterworks of Mozart."
La buona figliuola represented a special moment in the history of eighteenth-century music, in which comedy began to take on a new dramatic force. It was the moment at which the self-consciously sentimental theatrical project of Carlo Goldoni (the opera's librettist) was married with the developing musical language of classicism. This can especially be seen in the sensitive writing of Cecchina's act 2 aria "Una povera ragazza".
The opera was such a success that clothing fashions, shops, and houses were all named after La Cecchina. It also set off a debate about the merits of the new sentimental style, especially in England, where conservative reactionaries were wary of the supposed feminizing influence of modern Italian music. Antonio Baretti commented in 1768 that individuals “of weight and consideration” should not be blamed for condemning “those puny gentlemen” who, as enthusiasts of Italian opera, were able to “feel its minuet niceties, and to be of course in rapture with the languishing Cecchina’s of Piccini [sic].” This modern music, Baretti decried, “far from having any power of increasing courage or any manly virtues, has on the contrary a tendency towards effeminacy and cowardliness.”
Six years after this, Piccinni was invited by Queen Marie Antoinette to Paris, where he became the first Italian after Jean-Baptiste Lully to write operas for the Academie royale de musique (the Paris Opera). He collaborated with the poet and dramatist Jean-François Marmontel on several projects designed to advance the cause of the operatic reform. Marmontel's first librettos took as their foundation texts Philippe Quinault had written for Lully, Roland 1778, and Atys, 1779. Subsequent works, starting with Didon, used original texts.
All of Piccinni's later works were successful, but the directors of the Grand Opera conceived the idea of deliberately opposing him to Christoph Willibald Gluck, persuading the two composers to treat the same subject – Iphigénie en Tauride – simultaneously. The Parisian public was divided into two rival parties, which, under the names of Gluckists and Piccinnists, carried on an unworthy and disgraceful war. Gluck's masterly Iphigénie en Tauride was first produced on 18 May 1779. Piccinni's Iphigénie followed on 23 January 1781. The antagonism of the rival parties continued, even after Gluck left Paris in 1780; and an attempt was afterwards made to inaugurate a new rivalry with Sacchini.
Piccinni remained popular, and on the death of Gluck, in 1787, it was proposed that a public monument be erected to Gluck's memory – a suggestion which the Gluckists refused to support.
In 1784, Piccinni became professor at the Royal School of Music, one of the institutions from which the Conservatoire was formed in 1794. During the outbreak of the French Revolution in 1789, Piccinni returned to Naples, where he was at first well-received by King Ferdinand IV; the marriage of his daughter Claire to a French democrat named Pierre Prades-Prestreau, however, brought him disgrace. He was accused of being a revolutionary and placed under house arrest for four years. For the next nine years, Piccinni maintained a precarious existence in Venice, Naples and Rome. In 1798, he returned to Paris, where the public received him with enthusiasm, but he made no money.
During his life, he worked with the greatest librettists of his age, including Metastasio. After his death a memorial tablet was set up in the house in which he was born at Bari.
Niccolò Piccinni died in Passy, France, near Paris, on 7 May 1800.
A grandson of Niccolo and Vicenza, Louis Alexandre Piccinni, became a successful repetiteur and composer in Paris.
Operas
Piccinni produced over a hundred operas, but although his later work shows the influence of the French and German stage, he belongs to the conventional Italian school of the 18th century.
Non-operatic works
Piccinni also wrote a number of sacred works, for voices with various accompanying forces, and also two symphonies (in D major and in G major) and a flute concerto.
Discography & profile
Normalised profile
Percentiles are computed over every artist in the database, so a tier-3 artist can still sit in the 95th percentile on a single axis.
| Metric | Value | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia language versions | 35 | 92.8th |
| Spotify monthly listeners | — | no data |
| Release groups in DB | 4 | 78.1th |
| Studio albums | 4 | 82.8th |
| Awards recorded | 0 | 0th |
| Timeline events | 6 | 80.8th |
| Recording span (years) | -195 | 3.4th |
| Genres | 1 | 56th |
Percentiles are computed at render time; missing values mean the artist has no data on that axis.
Discography (4 release groups · 4 studio albums)
Albums · 4
1995 · studio album
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Tracklist · 45 tracks · 2:31:55
Disc 11La buona figliola: Sinfonia5:092La buona figliola: Atto primo. No. 1 "Che piacer, che el diletto"4:093La buona figliola: Atto primo. No. 2 "Quel che d'amore"1:404La buona figliola: Atto primo. No. 3 "Eh, Mengotto, Mengotto"2:535La buona figliola: Atto primo. No. 4 "Non comoda all'amante"3:096La buona figliola: Atto primo. No. 4 "Per dir la verità"1:327La buona figliola: Atto primo. No. 5 "Poverina, tutto il dì faticar deggio così"5:118La buona figliola: Atto primo. No. 6 "E' pur bella la Cecchina"4:519La buona figliola: Atto primo. No. 7 "Sono una giovane che in vita mia"4:1410La buona figliola: Atto primo. No. 8 "Della sposa il bel sembiante"3:2711La buona figliola: Atto primo. No. 8 "Caro albergo di pace"3:0212La buona figliola: Atto primo. No. 9 "Che superbia maledetta"2:5713La buona figliola: Atto primo. No. 9 "Eccomi a' suoi comandi"2:2714La buona figliola: Atto primo. No. 10 "Una povera ragazza"5:3615La buona figliola: Atto primo. No. 11 "Furie di donna irata"3:0816La buona figliola: Atto primo. No. 11 "Si sa dov'è Cecchina"0:3817La buona figliola: Atto primo. No. 12 "Vo' cercando e non ritrovo"10:0618La buona figliola: Atto secondo. No. 1 "Dov'è Cecchina, oh Ciel?"2:4219La buona figliola: Atto secondo. No. 1 "Amici, sia condotta"1:3120La buona figliola: Atto secondo. No. 2 "Ah, povero Mengotto"5:3821La buona figliola: Atto secondo. No. 3 "Star trompette"4:26Disc 21La buona figliola: Atto secondo. No. 3 "Dunque, per quel ch'io sento"0:562La buona figliola: Atto secondo. No. 4 "Cara, s'è ver ch'io v'ami"4:563La buona figliola: Atto secondo. No. 4 ("Chi l'avesse mai detto!")1:384La buona figliola: Atto secondo. No. 5 "Per il buco della chiave"2:425La buona figliola: Atto secondo. No. 6 "So che fedel m'adora"3:536La buona figliola: Atto secondo. No. 6 "Voglio andare, signor"2:147La buona figliola: Atto secondo. No. 7 "Alla larga, alla larga, signore"1:368La buona figliola: Atto secondo. No. 7 "Chi star casa?"2:489La buona figliola: Atto secondo. No. 8 "Vederete una figliola"3:0510La buona figliola: Atto secondo. No. 9 "Almen fra queste piante"6:3911La buona figliola: Atto secondo. No. 9 "Ecco, dorme Cecchina"3:2312La buona figliola: Atto secondo. No. 10 "Sì signora, di lassù"5:2213La buona figliola: Atto terzo. "Orsù, signori miei"1:1414La buona figliola: Atto terzo. No. 1 "Chi più di me contento"3:5015La buona figliola: Atto terzo. No. 1 "Signora, avete inteso?"1:0516La buona figliola: Atto terzo. No. 2 "Sento che il cor mi dice"3:0917La buona figliola: Atto terzo. No. 2 "Rider mi fa"1:0418La buona figliola: Atto terzo. No. 3 "Son tenera di pasta"2:4619La buona figliola: Atto terzo. No. 4 "Vedo la bianca, vedo la bruna: "2:3420La buona figliola: Atto terzo. No. 5 "Ah, comme tutte je consolar"2:3521La buona figliola: Atto terzo. No. 5 "Il valor militare"1:3722La buona figliola: Atto terzo. No. 6 "La Baronessa amabile"8:5723La buona figliola: Atto terzo. No. 6 "Possibil che c'inganni?"2:1724La buona figliola: Atto terzo. No. 7 "Porgetemi la destra"3:09La Cecchina o sia La buona figliola
2002 · studio album
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Tracklist · 30 tracks · 2:36:00
Disc 11La Cecchina o sia La buona figliola: Sinfonia4:472La Cecchina o sia La buona figliola: Atto primo: "Che placer, che bel diletto"4:063La Cecchina o sia La buona figliola: Atto primo: "Quel che d'amore"3:384La Cecchina o sia La buona figliola: Atto primo: "Non comoda all'amante"4:155La Cecchina o sia La buona figliola: Atto primo: "Poverina, tutto il di"4:286La Cecchina o sia La buona figliola: Atto primo: "E' pur bella la Cecchina"7:017La Cecchina o sia La buona figliola: Atto primo: "Sono una giovane"4:238La Cecchina o sia La buona figliola: Atto primo: "Della sposa il bel sembiante"8:519La Cecchina o sia La buona figliola: Atto primo: "Che superbia maledetta"5:0010La Cecchina o sia La buona figliola: Atto primo: "Una povera ragazza"5:4611La Cecchina o sia La buona figliola: Atto primo: "Furie di donna irata"6:0612La Cecchina o sia La buona figliola: Atto primo: "Vo cercando e non ritrovo"9:4813La Cecchina o sia La buona figliola: Atto secondo: "Dov'e Cecchina?"5:2114La Cecchina o sia La buona figliola: Atto secondo: "Oh, povera Cecchina"4:16Disc 21La Cecchina o sia La buona figliola: Atto secondo: "Starr trompette"5:432La Cecchina o sia La buona figliola: Atto secondo: "Cara, se ver ch io"5:283La Cecchina o sia La buona figliola: Atto secondo: "Per il buco"2:124La Cecchina o sia La buona figliola: Atto secondo: "So che fedel madora"8:045La Cecchina o sia La buona figliola: Atto secondo: "Alla larga"5:306La Cecchina o sia La buona figliola: Atto secondo: "Vederete una figliola"4:497La Cecchina o sia La buona figliola: Atto secondo: "Vieni, il mio senio"7:008La Cecchina o sia La buona figliola: Atto secondo: "Si, signora, di lassu"4:559La Cecchina o sia La buona figliola: Atto terzo: "Si, signori, vi dico"1:5310La Cecchina o sia La buona figliola: Atto terzo: "Chi piu di me conteno"5:3311La Cecchina o sia La buona figliola: Atto terzo: "Sento che il cor mi dice"3:5012La Cecchina o sia La buona figliola: Atto terzo: "Ah, comme tutte je consolar"4:2413La Cecchina o sia La buona figliola: Atto terzo: "La Baronessa amabile"9:4414La Cecchina o sia La buona figliola: Atto terzo: "Son tenera di pasta"2:2515La Cecchina o sia La buona figliola: Atto terzo: "Vedo la bianca, vedo la bruna"3:4716La Cecchina o sia La buona figliola: Atto terzo: "Porgetemi la destra"2:57Didon (Orchestra e Coro del Teatro Petruzzelli feat. conductor: Arnold Bosman)
2003 · studio album
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Tracklist · 36 tracks · 2:06:33
Disc 11Didon: Overture: I. Allegro maestoso2:582Didon: Overture: II. Andante sostenuto4:113Didon: Overture: III. Allegro sans presser2:524Didon: Act I, Scene 1. "Oui, Je veuz dissiper le trouble de mon coeur" (Didon)5:055Didon: Act I, Scene 1. "Nous allons la revoir" (Didon)0:466Didon: Act I, Scene 2. "Le cor nous appelle à la chasse" (Chorus)2:177Didon: Act I, Scene 2. "Venez, enfant des Dieux" (Didon)4:008Didon: Act I, Scene 2. "Air de Triomphe"2:319Didon: Act I, Scene 3. "Reine, aux jeux de la paix" (Énée)2:5910Didon: Act I, Scene 4. "Garde-toi de me faire connaître" (Yarbe)2:1611Didon: Act I, Scene 4. "Quelle dédaigneuse fierté" (Araspe)5:1612Didon: Act I, Scene 5. "C'est donc toi que Didon couronne?" (Yarbe)4:1413Didon: Act I, Scene 6. "Courons à la vengeance, Araspe" (Yarbe)4:2114Didon: Act II, Scene 1. "Au noir chagrin qui me dévore" (Énée)4:0515Didon: Act II, Scene 1. "Plaignez un Roi" (Énée)3:5916Didon: Act II, Scene 2. "Il croira donc que je lui céde" (Énée)2:3517Didon: Act II, Scene 3. "D'un Héros, sur les coeurs" (Didon)2:2418Didon: Act II, Scene 3. "Ah! Que je fus bien inspirée" (Didon)8:0319Didon: Act II, Scene 4. "L'amour a, dans mon coeur, suspendu la vengeance" (Yarbe)6:04Disc 21Didon: Act II, Scene 5. "Quelle noirceur" (Didon)5:272Didon: Act II, Scene 6. "Reine, et vous, Tyriens" (Énée)4:033Didon: Act II, Scene 7. Trio "Tu sais si mon coeur est sensible" (Didon)3:004Didon: Act II, Scene 7. "Tu veux me fuir" (Didon)5:095Didon: Act III, Scene 1. "Non, ce n'est plus pour moi" (Didon)5:096Didon: Act III, Scene 2. "Dieux des Troyens, Diex de Carthage" (Chorus)1:447Didon: Act III, Scene 2. "Ah! Le beau jour pour vous!" (Didon)1:108Didon: Act III, Scene 3. "Au comble de la gloire" (Didon)2:279Didon: Act III, Scene 3. "Vous la savez" (Énée)2:5510Didon: Act III, Scene 3. "Ah! Prends pitié de ma faiblesse" (Didon)3:3811Didon: Act III, Scene 3. "Dans ce coeur malheureux" (Énée)2:5512Didon: Act III, Scene 3. "Quelques dangers que me prépare" (Énée)1:5613Didon: Act III, Scene 4. "Inexorables Dieux!" (Énée)3:2214Didon: Act III, Scene 6. "Que m'annonce le Ciel par la voix du tonnerre?" (Didon)2:1515Didon: Act III, Scene 7. "Je veux mourir" (Didon)3:0516Didon: Act III, Scene 9. "Ma soeur, embrassez-moi" (Didon)3:1917Didon: Act III, Scene 10. "Toi que j'ai tant aimé" (Didon)4:03— · studio album
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Tracklist · 38 tracks · 1:44:10
Disc 11Iphigénie en Tauride: Ouverture7:332Iphigénie en Tauride: Atto I, Scena I. "O jour fatal"2:023Iphigénie en Tauride: Atto I, Scena II. "Jeune et belle Princesse"1:284Iphigénie en Tauride: Atto I, Scena II. "Pour adoucir mes maux"1:585Iphigénie en Tauride: Atto I, Scena II. "Diane! Suspends ton courroux"2:026Iphigénie en Tauride: Atto I, Scena III. "A mes peines sensible"1:297Iphigénie en Tauride: Atto I, Scena III. "A la triste clarté"2:028Iphigénie en Tauride: Atto I, Scena III. "Mais-tout-à-coup le Ciel est sans nuage"3:309Iphigénie en Tauride: Atto I, Scena IV. "De Diane en ce jour"1:2110Iphigénie en Tauride: Atto I, Scena V. "Mon Peuple, qui me croit heureux"2:3011Iphigénie en Tauride: Atto I, Scena V. "Quelle épaisse vapeur"3:4212Iphigénie en Tauride: Atto I, Scena VI. "Les Dieux ne sont point courroucés"0:5113Iphigénie en Tauride: Atto I, Scena VI. "Vous nous envouyez des victimes"3:4014Iphigénie en Tauride: Atto II, Scena I. "O sort funeste"3:4915Iphigénie en Tauride: Atto II, Scena II. "Quel moment pour mon coeur sensible"4:1216Iphigénie en Tauride: Atto II, Scena II. "Fais éclater la foudre"1:5917Iphigénie en Tauride: Atto II, Scena III. "Arretez, rendes-vous, ennemis de nos Dieux"2:4318Iphigénie en Tauride: Atto II, Scena IV. "Dieux tout-puissants"4:00Disc 21Iphigénie en Tauride: Atto III, Scena I. "Ah! Barbare Thoas!"5:382Iphigénie en Tauride: Atto III, Scena II. "Etrangers, que je plains"2:513Iphigénie en Tauride: Atto III, Scena II. "Son fils...il a vengé son père"0:434Iphigénie en Tauride: Atto III, Scena II. "Qu'est devenu ce fills?"0:545Iphigénie en Tauride: Atto III, Scena II. "Eh! Que reste-t-il donc?"2:056Iphigénie en Tauride: Atto III, Scena III. "O jour fatal!"2:587Iphigénie en Tauride: Atto III, Scena IV. "Au trépas ous les deux"1:208Iphigénie en Tauride: Atto III, Scena V. "O moment cher à ma tendresse"0:449Iphigénie en Tauride: Atto III, Scena V. "Cruel! Et tu dis que tu m'amais?"4:0410Iphigénie en Tauride: Atto III, Scena V. "Je t'aime plus que moi"2:3111Iphigénie en Tauride: Atto III, Scena V. "Non, ne l'espère pas"1:0712Iphigénie en Tauride: Atto III, Scena VI. "Mon coeur se fie à votre zèle"3:0813Iphigénie en Tauride: Atto III, Scena VI. "Si mon coeur ressent leurs alarms"6:0014Iphigénie en Tauride: Atto IV, Scena II. "On va conduire ici la victime innocente"4:3115Iphigénie en Tauride: Atto IV, Scena III. "Pour votre mort en ces tout s'apprete"3:2716Iphigénie en Tauride: Atto IV, Scena III. "Quel bonheur!"2:1317Iphigénie en Tauride: Atto IV, Scena IV. "Que vois-je!"2:0418Iphigénie en Tauride: Atto IV, Scena VI. "Ah! Pour nous le Ciel se déclare"2:1819Iphigénie en Tauride: Atto IV, Scena VIII. "J'abolis è jamais l'usage"1:2220Iphigénie en Tauride: Atto IV, Scena IX. "Quittez cet horrible rivage"3:21
Stats & PK
Percentile within all 23,672 published artists.Put Niccolò Piccinni head-to-head →
| Metric | Value | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia language versions | 35 | 92.8th |
| Spotify monthly listeners | — | no data |
| Release groups in DB | 4 | 78.1th |
| Studio albums | 4 | 82.8th |
| Awards recorded | 0 | 0th |
| Timeline events | 6 | 80.8th |
| Recording span (years) | -195 | 3.4th |
| Genres | 1 | 56th |
Awards & honours
Where this record comes from
portrait—Wikimedia Commons · Public domain · retrieved 11 October 2026
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Piccinni%2C_Niccol%C3%B2_1.JPGaliases/urls—musicbrainz · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://musicbrainz.org/artist/be6c91b9-9a31-4da9-a56b-b53f0a62f09adiscography—musicbrainz · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://musicbrainz.org/artist/be6c91b9-9a31-4da9-a56b-b53f0a62f09acore—wikidata · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q310687genre—wikidata · CC0 · retrieved 11 October 2026
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q310687seed-list—wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niccol%C3%B2_Piccinnibiography—wikipedia-en · CC BY-SA 4.0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niccol%C3%B2_Piccinni
Why this artist is in the database
- List of composers by name
Tier rule: historic figure (35 language versions, career ended)
Image: Hippolyte Pauquet (1797–1871) · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Wikidata: Q310687 · MusicBrainz: be6c91b9-9a31-4da9-a56b-b53f0a62f09a
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