Pietro Auletta

Full biography Pietro Auletta

Pietro Auletta was an Italian composer who lived from 1698 to 1771. He spent most of his life in Naples, where he was educated and where he worked as music director at the conservatory of Santa Maria di Loreto. Auletta composed a number of operas and other works, but relatively little is known about his early life or the details of his career.

One of his best-known works is the opera "Orazio," which was first performed in Naples in 1759. "Orazio" is a pasticcio, meaning that it is made up of pre-existing music, typically from a variety of sources and composers, rather than entirely new material. Auletta's version of "Orazio" drew from a number of other operas and composers, including Christoph Willibald Gluck and Leonardo Leo.

Despite the relative obscurity of his life and work, Auletta's music has been the subject of some recent scholarship and attention. In 2021, the 250th anniversary of his death was marked with some events and commemorations, including a performance of "Orazio" at the Festival della Valle d'Itria.