Abstract

The long-held assertion that Antonio Lotti was born in Hanover, because his father was Kapellmeister there at the time, can be easily refuted. Parish records provide details of Lotti’s birth and baptism in Venice, and no evidence can be found of Antonio’s father, Mattio Lotti, working in Hanover. The reason for the misunderstanding is explored, revealing that Mattio Lotti may have used the name Matthio Trento in Hanover. Documentary evidence also attests to Antonio Lotti’s ‘adoption’ by Venetian nobility, and the existence of a brother, working as a violinist in Hanover and Dresden. Other long-standing biographical confusions about Antonio Lotti’s wife, the soprano Santa Stella, are also clarified.

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