Cavos C.А., (1775-1840), composer

Categories / Art/Music, Theatre/Personalia
CAVOS Catarino Albertovich (1775-1840, St. Petersburg), composer, bandmaster, and teacher. He studied under F. Bianchi in Incurabile Conservatory, Venice. Living in St. Petersburg from 1798, he served in the Board of Imperial Theatres. A bandmaster of Italian and Russian opera companies from 1806, he was actually in charge of music and music education in the capital all his life. After the Italian opera was disbanded after 1808, he remained the bandmaster of the Russian company, charged with composing all Russian operas and ballets, conducting at performances and concerts, and teaching singing at the Theatre School where he organised an opera company to become its bandmaster and music supervisor from 1825. When the Italian Court Opera re-established, Cavos was its bandmaster again in 1828-31. He then replaced the musical director of the German Court Opera after the latter resigned in 1832, thus, committing himself to conduct at all performances of the German company and learn opera parts together with singers. He was simultaneously a teacher at St. Catherine School from 1803 and the Smolny Institute from 1811. His educational work had a wholesome effect on the Russian operatic theatre; A. Y. Petrov-Vorobyev, O. A. Petrov, V. M. and S. V. Samoylov, and M. M. Stepanova were among his students. He composed over 50 musical and theatrical compositions of various genres, including operas, such as Prince Invisible in 1805, Ilya the Bogatyr in 1806, Ivan Susanin composed to A. A. Shakhovksy's libretto in 1815, Dobrynya Nikitich or Dreadful Castle composed together with F. Antonolini in 1818, and Firebird or Adventure of Tsarevich Levsil in 1823; vaudeville operas such as Cossack the Poet composed to Shakhovksy's libretto in 1812; and ballets such as Zephyr and Flora in 1808, Raul de Crichi in 1819, and Prisoner of the Caucasus or the Bride's Shadow based on Alexander Pushkin's novel in 1823. He also staged patriotic divertimenti during the wars against Napoleon in 1812-14, including Home Guard or Love for Country in 1812, Celebrations in the Camp of Allied Armies in 1813, Russia's Triumph or the Russians in Paris in 1814, etc. He was buried at Volkovskoe Lutheran Cemetery, his remains and monument moved to the Necropolis of Artists in 1936.

Reference: Дехтерева-Кавос С. Катерино Альбертович Кавос // Рус. старина. 1895. Т. 83, апр. С. 97-112; История русской музыки: В 10 т. М., 1986. Т. 4.

A. L. Porfiryeva. Antonolini Ferdinando
Byanka F.
Cavos Caterino Albertovich
Napoleon I Bonaparte, Emperor
Petrov Osip Afanasievich
Petrova-Vorobyeva Anna Yakovlevna
Pushkin Alexander Sergeevich
Samoylov Vasily Mikhailovich
Samoylova Sofia Vasilievna
Shakhovskoy Alexander Alexandrovich
Stepanova Maria Matveevna
Дехтерева-Кавос С. Катерино Альбертович Кавос // Рус. старина, 1895
История русской музыки: В 10 т. М., 1986 Imperial Theatres Board
Italian Opera
Theatre College
Smolny Institute
Necropolis of Artists