João Cordeiro da Silva

Although he was “one of the main composers and keyboard instrumentalists of the Portuguese court during the second half of the 18th century,” little is known about the biography of João Cordeiro da Silva.¹ The dates of his birth and death are unknown, but he may have travelled to Naples to further his musical studies. It is known, however, that he signed the Entry Book of the Brotherhood of Santa Cecília on November 21, 1756, which at the time was an indispensable requirement for the exercise of the musician’s profession.²

In 1759, he was appointed organist of the Patriarchal See with duties at the Royal Chapel of Ajuda and, four years later, became responsible for the composition of sacred music for the same church. The correspondence between the director of the royal theatres, Pedro José da Silva Botelho, and the Italian composer Niccolò Jommelli (1714–1774) – who had established a contract with the Portuguese court in 1769 and was therefore obliged to send dramatic works and religious pieces to Lisbon every year – reveals that João Cordeiro da Silva would be “responsible for a large part of the operatic productions at court, including the adaptation of Jommelli’s operas to local conditions”.³

The composer accompanied the royal family on their stays in different residences outside Lisbon, participated in concerts of the Royal Chamber and performed in religious contexts under royal patronage.⁴ He may have been a teacher to some members of the royal family – notably to Prince João (later King João VI) and Princess Carlota Joaquina, to Prince José and Princess Maria Benedita⁵ – but he never assumed the position of Master to Their Royal Highnesses and did not accompany the transfer of the Portuguese court to Brazil, as by the beginning of the 19th century he was already of advanced age.⁶

Among his dramatic works, presented in various royal theatres, are serenatas, an oratorio, and some operas, four of them composed on librettos by Gaetano Martinelli: Archelao, presented at the Queluz Palace on August 21, 1785, to celebrate the birthday of Prince João of Brazil; Megara Tebana, heard at the Paço da Ribeira on July 25, 1788; Bauce e Palemone, presented at the Ajuda Palace on April 25, 1789, for the birthday of Princess Carlota Joaquina; and Lindane e Dalmiro, also sung at the Ajuda Palace, on the occasion of the birthday of Queen Maria I, on December 17, 1789.⁷ Although his dramatic output has not yet been the subject of in-depth study or modern performances – the exception is Lindane e Dalmiro, revived in 2016 in a production by the Teatro Nacional de São Carlos⁸ – “a superficial analysis suggests that his music is quite influenced by the Neapolitan style and displays several characteristics of the transition to classicism.”⁹