Roberto Valentini

Roberto Valentini (Robert Valentine) (bap. Leicester, 16 Jan 1674; d 1735–40). English composer, flautist and oboist.

He was resident in Rome and Naples for virtually all his professional life. The son of Thomas Follentine, an itinerant musician who had arrived and settled in Leicester about 1670, he was unable to secure a position as a town wait and so moved to Rome during the later years of the 17th century. By 1707 he was well established as a performer there, on both the flute (recorder) and the oboe, and is known to have performed during the period 1708–10 at the Ruspoli palace at events organized by Caldara, Corelli and Handel. His integration into musical circles in Rome is attested by the competent writing in his op.1 trio sonatas, which date from this period. Though showing evidence of an English training, specifically in respect of localized tonality, the overall style demonstrates a clear understanding of what Manfred Bukofzer referred to as a developed ‘bel canto’ style.

Valentine's first patron of any note was Sir Thomas Samwell (later MP for Coventry, 1714–22), whom he appears to have met in Rome and to whom he dedicated his op.2. His Divertimento for two flutes, which dates from this period, was dedicated to the Medici Gian Gastone, Grand Duke of Tuscany, which substantiates Italian connections before 1708. The works published after his op.4 ballettos (Rome, 1711) tend generally to have appeared first in Amsterdam or London without initially appearing in Rome – a result of his having established connections in Naples by 1715, specifically through John Fleetwood, the British consul there. His music written between 1714 and 1725 falls into two contrasting categories. The majority of his output consisted of music for ‘young practitioners and amateurs’ and was largely intended for the London market. Yet he maintained an output of more stylistically developed music, much of which remains in manuscript, but some of which, specifically opp.5, 6, 11 and 12, was published in Amsterdam and London. The best of this work, which tends towards the galant style, has much in common with the music of Valentine's Neapolitan friend Francisco Mancini, who shared the patronage of Fleetwood.

After Fleetwood's death in 1725 Valentine appears to have re-established his connections in Rome. In May 1730 he published a set of sonatas dedicated to the Duca dell'Oratina; totally distinct from the London set of solos published in 1728, it is among Valentine's most competent works. Although Valentine is thought to have returned to London in 1731, there is no primary evidence for this; however, the popularity of his music led Walsh to reissue opp.1–12 in London at this time. Valentine may have travelled to Amsterdam in about 1735, possibly renewing an acquaintance with Locatelli, who had established himself there in 1729.

Valentine's music is very much a product of its age and far from a mere simplistic imitation of Corelli. He possessed a particular skill for detached observation of musical styles. Rhythmic, melodic and harmonic features tend to be exaggerated, resulting in a style that seems clichéd to the modern ear. At the time, however, these features were more novel, and so, together with his popularity in Rome, he retained a secure popularity in the aspiring amateur markets of northern Europe for a period after his death. Hawkins compared him with Christian Schickardt as a composer of masterful works for the recorder and German flute.