Giovanni Legrenzi
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Giovanni Legrenzi (baptized August 12, 1626 – May 27, 1690) was an Italian composer and organist of the Baroque era. He was one of the most prominent composers in Venice in the late 17th century, and extremely influential on the development of late Baroque idioms across northern Italy.
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[edit] Life
He was born in Clusone, near Bergamo, and probably received his early training in Clusone. He served as organist to Santa Maria Maggiore there from 1645 to 1656. In 1656 he took a position at Ferrara as the maestro di cappella at the Accademia dello Spirito Santo, where he remained until 1665. Between 1665 and 1681 his activities are poorly documented, but he may have taught at the Venetian Ospedale dei Mendicanti sometime during these years. He was rejected for positions in many cities, including Vienna, Milan, Parma, Bologna, and Venice; and he declined positions in Modena and Bergamo.
In 1681 he was hired at St. Mark's in Venice as assistant maestro di cappella, and became full maestro di cappella in 1685. Among his students there were Francesco Gasparini, Antonio Lotti and Giovanni Varischino.
[edit] Music
Legrenzi was active in most of the genres current in northern Italy in the late 17th century, including opera, sacred vocal music and several varieties of instrumental music.
[edit] References
- Eleanor Selfridge-Field, Venetian Instrumental Music, from Gabrieli to Vivaldi. New York, Dover Publications, 1994. ISBN 0-486-28151-5
- Stephen Bonta: "Giovanni Legrenzi", Grove Music Online ed. L. Macy (Accessed June 27, 2005), (subscription access)
[edit] External links
- Free scores by Giovanni Legrenzi in the Werner Icking Music Archive
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