Antonio Caldara was at least one of the very first composers of what today are considered symphonies—see following paragraph—although he is more famous for his operas, cantatas and oratorios (pantheon.world). Caldara was born way back in c. 1670 and lived in the country of Italy. He grew up in Venice, relocated to Rome in his late 30s, resettled a decade later in Vienna (Robert Cummings – AllMusic, NetAktion, LLC), and may or may not have moved one other time outside of that—but Vienna was his final residence.

What is a symphony? The word itself can be traced back to ancient Greece, referring to harmonious notes and even ensemble or band (Britannica: Arts & Culture - symphony). Making its way into the more recent world of classical music, the word was used to help describe different compositions (e.g., “sinfonia avanti l’opera” by Scarlatti, “sinfonia da guerra” by Monteverdi, a sinfonia for three flutes by Jacopo Peri, etc.), without standing alone to represent a whole musical work. That would eventually come toward the end of the 17th century, thanks to Alessandro Scarlatti composing a fast-slow-fast overture to one of his operas; and yet credit can also go toward Jean-Philippe Rameau, who committed a very similar act several decades later. Still, the symphony did not spread its wings in full flight until—it can be argued—Fr. J. Haydn brought the word’s meaning from “harmony of sounds” or “music in parts” to “a sonata for full orchestra” (Britannica; Online Etymology Dictionary – word: symphony). So was Haydn the “Father of the symphony” or does Giovanni Battista Sammartini deserve the glorious title? There’s much that I could say about him regarding this one topic, but more on these and other men to come later, with evidence that the symphony predates both of the “symphony fathers” mentioned.

Let’s redirect our attention to Antonio Caldara. I mentioned that he is more famous for cantatas, operas and oratorios; in fact I have struggled to find more than one symphony by name—or title—much less an audio recording of one composed by the man. So that is why I’ve decided to start here, with Caldara. Far from the best-known composer and not exactly the leading pioneer of our featured genre, he still was influential during and after his lifetime (Classical Net). His musical career progressed all the way to his dying days; in fact, there is evidence that he died partly from work-related exhaustion. His last composition was completed a month or two before his death in late December of 1736 (AllMusic; Classical Net).

Homework: C-Major Sinfonia: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6SqimMsp1I Achille in Sciro; Ciro riconosciuto; Il Temistocle; La Promessa Serbata; Scipione Africano il maggiore, festa di camera.

Applause to the listeners!