Giardini, Felice de

FELICE de GIARDINI (1716-1796) was a chorister at the Cathedral of Milan. He played violin in opera orchestras in Rome and Naples and then gave concerts in Italy, in Germany (1748), and in London (1750). He lived in England from 1752 to 1784, teaching, performing, and conducting, and became impresario of the Italian Opera in London. A friend of nobility, including the Countess of Huntingdon, he was commissioned to write hymn tunes for Martin Madan's The Collection of Psalm and Hymn Tunes (1769) and provided four tunes, but only this one (ITALIAN HYMN) has remained in use. Giardini suffered several reverses in his work in opera and went to Moscow in 1796, where he died less than three months after his arrival. ITALIAN HYMN can be found with the text, "Come, Thou Almighty King," in the Worship & Rejoice hymnal.