Biography
Italian composer Ignacio Balbi is a mysterious figure whose long lifespan covers the transition from the late Baroque to the early Classical period. Although his birthdate is unknown, he is estimated as having been born, probably in Milan sometime between 1695 to 1700. His earliest known work, the Oratorio della Madonna de' sette dolori, is dedicated to Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI and dated February 24, 1720; Balbi signs himself as "dilettante," the typical identification then to signify an amateur composer. It is the only vocal work of Balbi that survives intact. While he contributed to pasticcio and is known to have written oratorios and opera from the 1720s to the 1750s, only single arias and duets have been located of any of these additional works. By the 1750s, he was signing his letters as local secretary to the Empress Maria Theresa of Austria, but as a composer he remained "dilettante," suggesting that Balbi's pursuit of music was something of a sideline relative to his work as a functionary within the Imperial court of Milan. Nevertheless, Balbi was well known to other musicians in Italy, particularly Padre Martini, with whom he carried on a correspondence lasting some 20 years, and also to Martini's student Johann Christian Bach, who mentions Balbi in letters dating from his time in Italy. The last letter from Balbi to Martini is dated April 14, 1773, and he probably died not long after it was posted; Balbi would have been in his seventies or eighties.
Despite the fragmentary nature of the survival of Balbi's vocal music, he has been luckier in terms of his instrumental output; an Overture in D major, probably written for an opera, has survived in multiple manuscript copies found throughout Europe. His trio sonatas, some 20 in number, were never published during his lifetime but exist in manuscript copies over a surprisingly wide range and found in libraries spanning from the Czech Republic to Bolivia. By virtue of their high Baroque sound and style, these sonatas -- indeed, perhaps Balbi's entire musical output -- probably belongs to the earlier part of his life rather than later.
Biography text from Last.fm, available under CC BY-SA.