CALIFANO ARCANGELO

It is practically impossible to reconstruct even the briefest biography of Arcangelo Califano, considering that no trace has yet been found of either his date of birth or his death, or even any other anecdote concerning his life.
All that is known of him may be gleaned from perusing the extant records of the Staatscalender containing lists and payment records of musicians employed by the Hofkapelle at the court in Dresden.
Proceeding in chronological order, in fact, the first new name of an Italian instrumentalist to appear in 1733 is that of Arcangelo Caly Fano, i.e., Califano (listed in the Hoff-und Staats-Calender Auf das Jahr 1733).
Califano is named as fifth cellist in the legendary orchestra.
Before 1733, we have no other information concerning Arcangelo Califano, but a look at the Hof-Calender of 1756 reveals that he was still active at that time.
In the State Archives of Dresden are preserved various documents, which record his salary.
The first, in 1733, gives a figure of 350 talers.
He seems later to have been granted a raise, for on 1 November 1743 he earned 100 talers more.
The program on this CD centers on six sonatas composed by our man Califano, of which four are for two oboes, obbligato bassoon and basso continuo, while the other two call for only two solo oboes and basso continuo.