Antonio Il Verso (1565 – August 23, 1621) was an Italian composer. Il Verso was born at

Piazza Armerina Piazza Armerina (Gallo-Italic of Sicily: ''Ciazza''; Sicilian: ''Chiazza'') is a ''comune'' in the province of Enna of the autonomous island region of Sicily, southern Italy. History The city of Piazza (as it was called before 1862) developed d ...

, and began his musical studies under the guidance of

Pietro Vinci Pietro Vinci (c. 1525 – after 14 June 1584) was an Italian composer of late Renaissance music. Vinci was born in Nicosia. He was active in Bergamo and then in various Sicilian cities as ''Maestro di cappella''. He published several books of ...

. He was active in

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

in the last years of the sixteenth century is given in Venice, then the seat of the Venetian school, where he refined his studies in the

madrigal A madrigal is a form of secular vocal music most typical of the Renaissance (15th–16th c.) and early Baroque (1600–1750) periods, although revisited by some later European composers. The polyphonic madrigal is unaccompanied, and the number o ...

and polyphonic music. Back in

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

settled in Palermo where he taught music at the Convent of San Domenico, on Via dei Bambinai. He was an exponent of

mannerism Mannerism, which may also be known as Late Renaissance, is a style in European art that emerged in the later years of the Italian High Renaissance around 1520, spreading by about 1530 and lasting until about the end of the 16th century in Italy, ...

and set to music verses major poets such as

Torquato Tasso Torquato Tasso ( , also , ; 11 March 154425 April 1595) was an Italian poet of the 16th century, known for his 1591 poem ''Gerusalemme liberata'' (Jerusalem Delivered), in which he depicts a highly imaginative version of the combats between ...

and

Gabriello Chiabrera Gabriello Chiabrera (; 18 June 155214 October 1638) was an Italian poet, sometimes called the Italian Pindar. Endnote: The best editions of Chiabrera are those of Rome (1718, 3 vols. 8vo); of Venice (1731, 4 vols. 8vo); of Leghorn (1781, 5 vols., ...

in addition to the major poets of the period. He often utilised melodies of other composers, modifying their style but not distorting their compositional integrity. In the 1591 Second Book of ricercars, Verso based his ricercars on the models of his teacher Vinci. Between 1590 and 1619 Verso composed at least 15 books of madrigals for 5 voices, and additional books for 3 and 4 voices and monodies. He died in

Palermo Palermo ( , ; scn, Palermu , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan ...

. Il Verso is honoured today as the patron composer of the Palermo-based ''Associazione per la musica antica Antonio Il Verso'', and the

early music Early music generally comprises Medieval music (500–1400) and Renaissance music (1400–1600), but can also include Baroque music (1600–1750). Originating in Europe, early music is a broad musical era for the beginning of Western classical m ...

group ''Studio di Musica Antica Antonio Il Verso'', frequently directed by Gabriel Garrido.

Works

* 1590 First Book of Madrigals for 5 voices. * 1591 Second Book of 11 Motets and 14 Ricercars in 3 voices by Pietro Vinci with 7 Ricercars by Antonio Il Verso. Probably intended for a trio of

viols The viol (), viola da gamba (), or informally gamba, is any one of a family of bowed, fretted, and stringed instruments with hollow wooden bodies and pegboxes where the tension on the strings can be increased or decreased to adjust the pitch ...

. * 1611 Sacrum Cantionum for 2,3,4 voices with a dialogue for 6 voices. * 1617 ''4° Libro di Madrigali a 3 voci di Antonio Il Verso'', Palermo. * 1619 Fifteenth Book of Madrigals for 5 voices. Including a parody of the ''Lamento d'Arianna a 5'' by Claudio Monteverdi's Sixth Book of Madrigals.

Recordings

and Antonio il Verso: Ricercars. Diego Cannizzaro, organ. Tactus 2008 * Lamento d'Arianna - ''Lasciatemi morire'' in the settings of Monteverdi, Antonio Il Verso, etc.

Consort of Musicke The Consort of Musicke is a British early-music group, founded in 1969 by lutenist Anthony Rooley, the ensemble's Artistic Director. Members of the group have included such well-known artists as sopranos Emma Kirkby and Evelyn Tubb, alto Mary Nich ...

dir. Anthony RooleyRecorded 1982-84 Deutsche Harmonia Mundi (EMI) 1C 165 16 95043-1 LPs reissued with Italian sung texts and Japanese translation BMG Japan BVCD-38175/76 CDs2009

References

External links

Associazione per la musica antica Antonio Il Verso (Italian)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Verso, Antonio Il 1565 births 1621 deaths People from Piazza Armerina Italian music theorists Italian classical composers Italian male classical composers Renaissance composers Musicians from the Province of Enna