Was Girolamo Bon a Composer?
I found several sources that mentioned a set of six violin sonatas published by Girolamo Bon (Anna’s father) in 1752. They are held at the Leipziger Städtische Bibliotheken (Leipzig City Library). I contacted them and had a pdf of the sonatas emailed to me. Below is a timeline of Girolamo’s life I have pieced together from various newspapers and dissertations to shed some light on my belief that he was not a composer/musician and did not actually write these sonatas.
1735-1740 Russia - Her Imperial Highness’ Theater Designer for Zarina Anna Ivanovna
1741-1742 Pressburg (border town on the Danube between Austria and Hungary, now called Bratislava) - Impressario der Wellichen Opera
1742-1746 Russia - Elizabeth the Great newly built Opera House decorated and painted by Girolamo Bon
1748-1751 Berlin, Germany - Frederick the Great of Prussia, Stadtschloss Theater with “glamorous decorations and stage machinery” by Girolamo Bon
1752 Nuremberg, Germany - Published Six Violin Sonatas
1752 Antwerp, Belgium - wrote libretto and staged the first Italian Opera in Belgium
1753-1755 Regensburg, Germany - Girolamo Bon was given financial support from Prince Alexander Ferdinand von Thurn und Taxis to perform.
Side Note: One source suggested that Gerolamo Bon might have been asked to spy for Count Johann Anton von Pergen’s infamous secret police. As an artist, Bon would have been able to move in all circles without being questioned. A letter from Bon to Pergen in 1755 states that it is ‘cold’ in Regensberg and he will be moving to Frankfurt where he is hoping for a warmer reception.
1756-1761 Bayreuth, Germany - Professor of Architecture and Perspective at Bayreuth Academy of Fine Arts
1759-1760 Directed several operas in Pressburg
1762-1773 (death) Esterhazy Court, Austria - Principal stage designer, painter and responsible for the Italian texts of Haydn’s cantatas and operas
I have three possible theories as to why these sonatas were published under Girolamo’s name and not Anna’s:
In 1752 Anna was still enrolled at the Ospedale della Pietà in Venice. The Pietà had very strict rules about what the girls could and couldn’t do. They also frowned upon the idea of girls composing. She may not have had very much support composing while she was there.
Girolamo Bon was pretty well known in the music world and would have had name recognition. He and his wife were freelancing in Germany at the time. They might have seen this as an additional income stream.
I have transcribed two of the Violin Sonatas from 1752 and two of the Flute Sonatas from 1756 for solo viola. There are many structural similarities. If anything, the Violin Sonatas seem a little less mature with some technical and engraving mistakes.
