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Last Updated: Dec 12, 2020 See Article History Alternative Title: Il Sassone Johann Adolph Hasse, byname Il Sassone, (born March 25, 1699, Bergedorf, near Hamburg—died Dec. 16, 1783, Venice), outstanding composer of operas in the Italian style that dominated late Baroque opera. Hasse began his career as a singer and made his debut as a composer in 1721 with the opera Antioco. He went to Italy, where he studied with Nicola Porpora and with Alessandro Scarlatti and where his opera seria Sesostrate (1726) established his reputation; in Italy he became known as “il Sassone” (“the Saxon”). After spending several years in Venice, where he married the celebrated mezzo-soprano Faustina Bordoni (c. 1700–81), he became music director of the Dresden Opera (1731). He resided in Dresden from 1739 to 1763, when he retired and went to Vienna. His last work for the stage was Ruggiero (1771), written for the wedding of the archduke Ferdinand at Milan. Hasse’s compositions include more than 60 operas, many of them to librettos by Pietro Metastasio, and nearly a dozen intermezzos, as well as oratorios, masses, and instrumental works. His music was enormously popular during his lifetime; its chief characteristics were melodic beauty and formal balance. His operatic overtures had considerable influence on the development of the symphony, especially in northern Germany. Learn More in these related Britannica articles: opera: Early opera in Germany and Austria …almost wholly Italianate by disposition, Johann Adolph Hasse spent most of his career working for the Saxon court at Dresden, although he became one of the most successful and popular composers in Europe around the middle of the 18th century. He promoted the traditions of opera seria in some 80… cantata Johann Hasse, a German pupil of Scarlatti, took the chamber cantata to Dresden; and George Frideric Handel, among others, wrote cantatas in the Italian manner. The early 18th century saw a similar trend in French music, notably in the works of Louis Clérambault, Jean-Baptiste Morin, and… Venice Venice, city, major seaport, and capital of both the provincia (province) of Venezia and the regione (region) of Veneto, northern Italy. An island city, it was once the centre of a maritime republic. It was the greatest seaport in late medieval Europe and the continent’s commercial and cultural… History at your fingertips Sign up here to see what happened On This Day, every day in your inbox! Email address By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Notice. Thank you for subscribing! Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. Johann Adolph Hasse Quick Facts born March 25, 1699 Bergedorf, Germany died December 16, 1783 (aged 84) Venice, Italy Inspire your inbox – Sign up for daily fun facts about this day in history, updates, and special offers. 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