Giovanni Battista Cirri

Giovanni Battista Cirri (Forlì, 1724 – Forlì, 1808) was an Italian cellist and composer whose career unfolded across his native Forlì, Bologna, Paris and London. He is remembered above all for his chamber music and for his contribution to establishing the cello as a solo instrument. Born in Forlì, he received the minor orders in 1739, although his musical training took him along a varied path. He studied with his brother Ignazio, organist of Forlì Cathedral from 1759, and may also have taken lessons from Padre Martini.

Around 1759 he joined the Accademia Filarmonica and, that same year, met the Duke of York in Forlì. After an initial period linked to the basilica of San Petronio in Bologna, as a composer and cello performer, he settled in Paris at the beginning of the 1760s, where his first works were published and one of his symphonies was performed at the Concert Spirituel in April 1763. In 1764 he moved to London, where he worked as chamber musician to the Duke of York and musical director to the Duke of Gloucester. That same year he played in Mozart's first public concert in the British capital, and in 1765 he gave his last performance there.

In addition to his commitments to the nobility, Cirri was a much sought-after soloist and accompanist. He took part in the Bach-Abel concerts, performed concertos during the intervals of operas and oratorios, and contributed to numerous charity concerts. Most of his publications date from this London period, and their dedications bear witness to the patronage of the English aristocracy. Around 1780 he returned to Forlì to help his ailing brother; in 1782 he was principal cellist at the Teatro dei Fiorentini in Naples and, in 1787, succeeded his brother as maestro di cappella of Forlì Cathedral.

His legacy lies in a chamber music of carefully crafted harmony and well-organised form, in which the obbligato cello parts of the 1760s and 1770s reflect the growing acceptance of the instrument in a melodic role. His writing favours cantabile over virtuosity, although he makes comfortable use of the high registers. A large part of his instrumental music and numerous sacred works remain in manuscript, and his principal source is preserved in Bologna.