João Domingos Bomtempo (1771-1842): Symphonies Nos. 1 and 2
João Domingos Bomtempo was born in Lisbon in 1771,
the son of an Italian oboist, member of the orchestra of
the Royal Court of Lisbon. He studied music in Lisbon’s
Patriarchal Seminary, and in 1795, after his father’s
death, he was appointed principal oboist of that
orchestra. Unlike most Portuguese composers of the
eighteenth century who went to Italy to pursue their
musical studies, Bomtempo established himself in Paris
in 1801. He was, certainly by nature as well as by
education, a cosmopolitan personality, as may also be
concluded by the fact that he was a free-mason.
In Paris, and later in London, Bomtempo developed
a brilliant career as a pianist and composer. A friend of
Muzio Clementi, he absorbed the new pianistic style of
this Italian composer, pedagogue and music publisher.
The success of his public concerts led to the publication
of his works by Leduc. After the first performance of his
first symphony in Paris in 1809, he established himself
in London. Clementi became his publisher, and his first
symphony was published as Opus 11, in a four-hands
piano version.
In 1820 Bomtempo returned to Lisbon, where in
1822 he founded the Philharmonic Society, with which
he widely contributed toward the development of the
Portuguese musical establishment. In 1833, when the
Lisbon Conservatory of Music was founded, he was
appointed its Director. He also published various
pedagogical works, including a Method for the Piano
and Elements of Music.
Bomtempo composed music for different musical
ensembles. Among his works, the most important ones
are, in addition to many compositions for the piano, his
five concertos for piano and orchestra, his Requiem in
Memory of Camões and the two symphonies here
included, although early musicologists mention that he
composed a total of six symphonies.
Symphony No.1 shows the influence of Haydn and
Mozart. It follows the classical form despite the fact that
the second movement is a Menuet, and not the usual
Andante. The first movement has a slow introduction
and its Allegro section follows sonata form. The Menuet
has the usual contrasting Trio and the third movement
(Andante sostenuto) develops along the lines of a free
set of variations, with an emphasis on the use of the
wind instruments. The work is scored for two flutes, two
oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, two horns and
timpani. The oldest existing copy of the full orchestral
score is in the handwriting of a copyist. Curiously, it has
no trumpets. Since the timpani part is independent of
that of the horns, and since the symphonies which
directly influenced Bomtempo do not use timpani
without trumpets, I have added two trumpets to the
timpani part. The score and parts of this symphony were
published in 1963 by the Calouste Gulbenkian
Foundation in Lisbon.
Symphony No. 2 is a work of much larger scope and
dimension. Its musical style is clearly more Romantic
than that of the first symphony and its form much
broader and more fluid. Of particular interest is the
lyricisim of the Allegro moderato, which follows the
slow introduction of the first movement. Its sheer size
reminds us of Beethoven’s Eroica Symphony. Equally
original is the second movement, whose rhythmic
character is interrupted by a theme which resembles
more an operatic aria than the middle section of an
orchestral slow movement. Also noteworthy is the ease
with which the Trio becomes part of the Menuet and the
freedom with which the Finale develops, always
following the sonata form but without apparent
submission to any pre-established musical form. The
orchestration of the Second Symphony is the same as that
of the first, with the addition of two trombones. Perhaps
this indicates that Bomtempo may have known
Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony at the time when he
composed this work.
Álvaro Cassuto