Fortunato Chelleri’s Cantate e arie con stromenti (1727): A souvenir of London

Abstract

The Italian composer and instrumentalist Fortunato Chelleri paid three visits to London between 1725 and 1728. Although he failed to have any of his operas performed there, he distinguished himself as a harpsichordist and cellist and left a permanent record of his visits in the form of a published collection of cantatas and arias (1727) that demonstrates his considerable merit as a composer. The article also examines the extraordinary success enjoyed by the Italian cantata in Britain during the same period.