Antonio Caldara and the Performance of Power

Antonio Caldara (1670–1736) was one of the most highly regarded musicians of the early eighteenth century. As vice-Capellmeister and favourite composer to Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI (r.1711–1740) in Vienna, he was at the centre of European power. Here, he produced a prodigious stream of sacred and secular music glorifying the Emperor. Yet, under the Viennese court’s tightly regulated system, his music was not widely disseminated, and his achievements have until recently been eclipsed by those of his famous contemporaries including J. S. Bach, Handel and Vivaldi. In this volume, an international group of scholars re-evaluates Caldara’s achievement with a particular focus on his role in the projection of Habsburg political and cultural power. The book provides new insights into a creative, versatile composer, the quality of whose oeuvre is now increasingly being recognised.