Andrea Luchesi was born at
Motta di Livenza, near
Treviso the eleventh child of Pietro Luchese and Caterina Gottardi. The rather wealthy family descended from groups of noble families who had moved from
Lucca to Venice in the 14th century (hence the name Luchese; from 1764/65 Andrea began to use the name Luchesi, which we can find written by his contemporaries also as Lucchesi, Lughesi, Luckesi, Lucchezzy, etc.). He grew up in his native town, receiving musical and general education from his elder brother Matteo, a priest, public tutor and
organist. By 1757 he moved to
Venice. The protection of the nobleman Jseppo Morosini enabled him to study with eminent musicians:
Gioacchino Cocchi,
Padre Paolucci,
Giuseppe Saratelli,
Domenico Gallo,
Ferdinando Bertoni and (the best-known of them)
Baldassare Galuppi. His career in Venice developed quickly: examiner of the organists commission in 1761, then organist at San Salvatore (1764), composer of works for "
organ or
cembalo", instrumental,
sacred and theatre music. He composed for official celebrations, the last (1771) being the solemn funeral of the Duke of Montealegre,
Spanish ambassador to Venice. As a famous
virtuoso he was invited to play organ in and outside Venice, e.g. was in charge of inaugurating the new organ of the
basilica of
Saint Anthony in
Padua. In the spring of 1765 his
opera ''L'isola della fortuna'' was performed at the Hoftheater in
Vienna. While on tour in Italy in 1771,
Leopold and
Wolfgang Mozart met Andrea Luchesi and received one of his
concertos for cembalo (Wolfgang was still playing the concerto in 1777, while Leopold and
Nannerl often used the concerto for teaching and practising purposes). At the end of 1771, Luchesi traveled to
Bonn on a three-year contract, invited by the
Prince Elector Archbishop of Cologne Maximilian Friedrich von Königsegg-Rothenfels, who wished to raise the quality level of his
court orchestra. After the death of the previous Kapellmeister (Ludwig van Beethoven senior, i.e. the grandfather of Beethoven), Andrea Luchesi was nominated official court
Kapellmeister in 1774. He acquired the
principality's citizenship and in 1775 married Anthonetta Josepha d'Anthoin, daughter of Maximilian Friederich's senior counselor. With the exception of a visit to Venice in 1783-84, he lived in Bonn until his death in 1801, although his role as Kapellmeister ended in 1794, when the
French invasion troops suppressed the court. The young
Beethoven was at the court chapel from 1781 to 1792 as assistant organist, cembalo and
viola player. Although Beethoven's musical and compositional training was probably influenced by Luchesi's presence, we have no evidence of any formal pupil/teacher relationship between the two. Luchesi died on 21 March 1801 at the age of 59 in
Bonn. == Works ==