Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
; died 6 July 1694 in Rome) was an Italian
organist
An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ. An organist may play solo organ works, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumental soloists. In addition, an organist may accompany congregational h ...
, composer and Kapellmeisterhttps://musopen.org/de/music/composer/francesco-beretta/, Francesco Beretta Notenblättermusik, Musopenhttps://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/francesco-berretta_(Dizionario-Biografico)/, Silvana Simonetti - Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani - Volume 9 (1967), ''BERRETTA, Francesco'' and a predecessor of
Paolo Lorenzani
Paolo Francesco Lorenzani (5 January 1640 – 28 October 1713) was an Italian composer of the Baroque Era. While living in France, he helped promote appreciation for the Italian style of music.
Lorenzani was born in Rome and was trained by ...
Cappella Giulia
The Cappella Giulia, officially the Reverend Musical Chapel Julia of the Sacrosanct Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican, is the choir of St. Peter's Basilica that sings for all solemn functions of the Vatican Chapter, such as Holy Mass, ...
Stefano Fabri jr.
Stefano Fabri junior (born c. 1606 in Rome; died 27 August 1658 in Rome) was the son of Stefano Fabri, Stefano Fab(b)ri (1560–1609), who was the Kapellmeister of the Cappella Giulia. He was the pupil of Giovanni Bernardino Nanino.Argia Bertini, ...
, who was the son of
Stefano Fabri
Stefano Fabri (c. 1560 – 1609, or ''Fabbri'', ''Stefano Fab(b)ri senior'') was an Italian composer, organist and furthermore he was known to play the trombone. He succeeded Ruggiero Giovanelli as maestro di cappella of the Cappella Giulia at Sa ...
. Both of the Fabris worked at the Cappella Giulia, whereas Fabri jr.'s father was a director of music there.'''' Intermediately during the years of 1657 until 1664 Beretta was the musical maestro of the cathedral of Tivoli. Beginning with the year 1664 he advanced to be the director of music at the Chiesa Santo Spirito in Sassia in Rome. Later on at the 21st of September 1678 he was made the director of music of the Cappella Giulia in Rome. He stayed there until his death in 1694.''http://composers-classical-music.com/b/BerettaFrancesco.htm, Beretta (Berretta) (Beretti), Francesco 16??-6.jul.1694 Italy, ?Rome - Rome, 2007-12-26'' In 1675 he is mentioned as "Don Franc. Beretti". In the libretto of the Oratory „San Ermenegildo" he is titled as ''„''Canonico regolare di S. Spirito e Maestro di capella della Basilica Vaticano di Roma''" –'' this is a canon regular at St. Peter.Eitner, Robert; Biographisch-bibliographisches Quellen-Lexikon der Musiker und Musikgelehrten der christlichen Zeitrechnung bis zur Mitte des neunzehnten Jahrhunderts; 1900; p.454; über: https://archive.org/details/biographischbibl01eitn/page/454/mode/1up
Selected works
There is a copy of a mass for 4 choirs and 16 voices - the so-called ''Missa mirabiles elationes maris'', which had been done by
Marc-Antoine Charpentier
Marc-Antoine Charpentier (; 1643 – 24 February 1704) was a French Baroque composer during the reign of Louis XIV. One of his most famous works is the main theme from the prelude of his ''Te Deum'', ''Marche en rondeau''. This theme is still us ...
, who additionally added some parts. Charpentier is said to have complained the workout of the counterpoint to be very weak. This copy is recently in the National Library of France in Paris. The mass ''Dies iste celebratur'' is claimed to have been created for the cardinal ''M. Santacroce'', the bishop of Tivoli, in 1558 in order to celebrate a votive consecration. There exists a recording of this mass. He composed lots of antiphons, offertories and masses in the so-called Roman style.
Giovanni Battista Caifabri published the following compositions:https://www.mgg-online.com/article?id=mgg02339&v=1.0&rs=mgg02339, Giancarlo Rostirolla, ''Caifabri, Giovanni Battista'', 2000, Online veröffentlicht: November 2016
* ''San Ermenegildo'', Oratory
* ''Scelta de’ motetti a due e tre voci'', ''composti da diversi eccellentissimi Autori… parte seconda,'' A. Belmonte, 1667
* ''Scelta di mottetti sacri raccolti da diversi eccellentissimi autori… ,'' Rome 1667
* Arch. del Capitolo di S. Pietro, ''Cappella Giulia'', arm. 20–23, misc XCI, 429: ''Cantori della Cappella Giulia'', fasc. ''Maestri di Cappella di San Pietro'', s.n. di ff., s.d., 1678
* ''Salmi vespertini a quattro voci concertati e brevi con l’organo per tutte le feste dell’anno…'', 1683
* ''Lauda Ierusalem a quattro voci, concertato e breve con organo'', 1683
Further reading
* Robert Eitner: Biographisch-bibliographisches Quellen-Lexikon der Musiker und Musikgelehrten der christlichen Zeitrechnung bis zur Mitte des neunzehnten Jahrhunderts
* Giancarlo Rostirolla: ''La Cappella Giulia 1513–2013: Cinque secoli di musica sacra in San Pietro.''
* Arnold Schering: ''Geschichte des Oratoriums'', Leipzig 1911
*
* Joseph Killing: ''Kirchenmusikalische Schätze der Bibliothek des Abbate Fortunato Santini'', Düsseldorf s.d. (1910)
Selected recordings
* ''Missa Mirabiles elationes maris,'' Ensemble Correspondances, conducted by