Attilio Ariosti
An Italian friar-composer whose melodic gifts and unusual viola d'amore playing charmed 18th-century London audiences alongside Handel and Bononcini.
1666–1729 (age 63)·Italian composer·Birthday: November 5
Biography
Attilio Ariosti lived a double life as a Servite friar and a sought-after composer of the Baroque era, navigating the great courts and opera houses of Europe. After early success in Italy and Berlin, he found his most famous stage in London, where he became one of the three composer-impresarios, alongside Handel and Giovanni Bononcini, who dominated the city's vibrant opera scene. Ariosti was admired for his accessible, lyrical style and was a virtuoso of the viola d'amore, a sweet-toned, sympathetic-stringed instrument for which he wrote extensively. While history has often placed him in the shadow of the titanic Handel, Ariosti's operas, oratorios, and instrumental works were popular in their day, representing the elegant, melodious side of the late Baroque.
#1 When Attilio Was Born
The biggest hits of 1666
Attilio's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1666Born
1671Started school
1679Became a teenager
1682Could drive
1684Could vote
1687Turned 21
1696Turned 30
1706Turned 40
1716Turned 50
1726Turned 60
1729Died at 63
Key Achievements
- Composed more than 30 operas and oratorios during the Baroque period.
- Was one of the leading composer-impresarios for the Royal Academy of Music in London in the 1720s.
- Wrote significant and technically demanding sonatas for the viola d'amore, an instrument he mastered.
Did You Know?
He was ordained as a friar in the Catholic Servite order.
He once served as a diplomatic agent for the Duke of Mantua in Vienna.
His opera 'Coriolano' was a major success in London in 1723.
“The music must serve the drama, not the other way around.”
