Gennaro Manna

Gennaro Manna was an Italian composer and music teacher, active in Naples, and an important representative of the Neapolitan school. Born in Naples on 12 December 1715 to Giuseppe Maria Manna and Caterina Feo, he studied at the Conservatorio di Sant’Onofrio a Porta Capuana under his uncle Francesco Feo. He composed mainly opera seria, refraining from opera buffa. His debut opera Tito Manlio premiered 21 January 1742 in Rome, bringing immediate success; soon he composed Siroe re di Persia for the Venetian carnival of 1743.

After returning to Naples he collaborated with Nicola Bonifacio Logroscino on the serenata Festa teatrale per la nascita dell’Infante, which was never staged. In 1744 he succeeded Domenico Sarro as maestro di cappella of the Senate of Naples, and in January 1745 his opera Achille in Sciro was successfully presented at the Teatro di San Carlo. From 1756 he served as teacher and then full faculty member at the conservatory Santa Maria di Loreto, having initially taken the position on an interim basis in 1755 with Pietro Antonio Gallo as secondo maestro. Among his pupils was Giuseppe Giordani.

Between 1760 and 1761 he composed his last theatrical works, including the serenata Enea in Cuma and the opera seria Temistocle. In January 1761 he succeeded his uncle Feo as maestro di cappella at the church of Santissima Annunziata Maggiore, and later that year also assumed the same position at the Naples Cathedral. In his later years he devoted himself to sacred music and remained active in this field until his death on 28 December 1779. His output comprises 13 to 16 operas, several oratorios, and more than 150 sacred works.

Within his family, his brother Giacinto Manna and his cousin Cristoforo Manna were also known as musicians. Manna is regarded as a bridge between late Baroque and early pre-classical style: his operas combine galant expressiveness and structural clarity.

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