Traetta, Filippo

1777-1854

Son of Tommaso Traetta, the famous Italian composer; born in Venice three years before his father's death. He received instruction from Fenaroli and Perillo at Venice and of Piccinni at Naples. During the French Revolution he joined the Italian army, was captured, and after eight months in prison escaped on an American vessel to Boston, where he settled as a singingmaster in 1799, writing his famous Washington's Dead March here. He moved to New York and after managing a traveling theatrical troupe for several years settled in Virginia, but moved to Philadelphia in 1822 and with Uri K. Hill founded the American Conservatory the following year. He was interested in musical enterprises in Philadelphia, and to some extent in Italian Opera. With Uri K. Hill, he wrote Rudiments of the Art of Singing, for use in the Conservatory, and contributed a number of exercises to Solfeggio Americano, arranged for the Conservatory by Hill. His compositions are the opera, The Venetian Maskers; the cantatas, Prophecy, and The Christian's Joy; The Day oi Rest, and The Nativity; two oratorios, Daughter of Zion, and Jerusalem in Affliction; many vocal and instrumental trips, duets, quartets and songs. He died in Philadelphia.