Francesco Usper (real name Spongia or Sponga) (1 November 1561 – 24 February 1641),New Grove: Usper (Sponga, Spongia, Sponza), Francesco, b. ca. 1560/61, Rovigno (now Rovinj), Istria, d. Feb. 24, 1641, Venice; Italian composer, organist, and priest) was an Italian composer and organist born in Rovigno,

Istria Istria ( ; Croatian language, Croatian and Slovene language, Slovene: ; ist, Eîstria; Istro-Romanian language, Istro-Romanian, Italian language, Italian and Venetian language, Venetian: ; formerly in Latin and in Ancient Greek) is the larges ...

(now

Rovinj Rovinj (; it, Rovigno; Istriot: or ; grc, Ρυγίνιον, Rygínion; la, Ruginium) is a city in Croatia situated on the north Adriatic Sea with a population of 14,294 (2011). Located on the western coast of the Istrian peninsula, it is a po ...

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

). He settled 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 ...

before 1586 and is associated with the

confraternity A confraternity ( es, cofradía; pt, confraria) is generally a Christian voluntary association of laypeople created for the purpose of promoting special works of Christian charity or piety, and approved by the Church hierarchy. They are most c ...

St. Giovanni Evangelista, Venice. He spent most of his life there, serving as organist,

chaplain A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a Minister (Christianity), minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a laity, lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secularity, secular institution (such as a hosp ...

, manager of the adjoining church (the S. Salvador) and administrative officer. Usper studied under

Andrea Gabrieli Andrea Gabrieli (1532/1533Bryant, Grove online – August 30, 1585) was an Italian composer and organist of the late Renaissance. The uncle of the somewhat more famous Giovanni Gabrieli, he was the first internationally renowned member of the Ven ...

and apparently became a fairly well known composer; he collaborated in the writing of a

Requiem mass A Requiem or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead ( la, Missa pro defunctis) or Mass of the dead ( la, Missa defunctorum), is a Mass of the Catholic Church offered for the repose of the soul or souls of one or more deceased persons, ...

(now lost) with Giovanni Battista Grillo and

Claudio Monteverdi Claudio Giovanni Antonio Monteverdi (baptized 15 May 1567 – 29 November 1643) was an Italian composer, choirmaster and string player. A composer of both secular and sacred music, and a pioneer in the development of opera, he is considered ...

for the Grand Duke Cosimo II, and he served as substitute organist at St. Mark's in 1622 and 1623. Although his music tended towards conservatism, he shows his ability to handle with skill sensitivity to the instrumental styles just emerging in the early 17th century.

References

External links

* * *http://www.geocities.jp/lyrischesuite/Sponga.htm {{DEFAULTSORT:Usper, Francesco 1561 births 1641 deaths Renaissance composers Italian Baroque composers Italian male classical composers Musicians from Venice Venetian School (music) composers 17th-century Italian composers 17th-century male musicians