Giacomo Antonio Perti (6 June 1661 – 10 April 1756) was an

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

of the

Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

era. He was mainly active at

Bologna Bologna (, , ; egl, label= Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nat ...

, where he was ''Maestro di Cappella'' for sixty years. He was the teacher of

Giuseppe Torelli Giuseppe Torelli (22 April 1658 – 8 February 1709) was an Italian violist, violinist, teacher, and composer of the middle Baroque era. Torelli is most remembered for contributing to the development of the instrumental concerto., especially con ...

and

Giovanni Battista Martini Giovanni Battista or Giambattista Martini, O.F.M. Conv. (24 April 1706 – 3 August 1784), also known as Padre Martini, was an Italian Conventual Franciscan friar, who was a leading musician, composer, and music historian of the period ...

Life

He was born in

, then part of the

Papal States The Papal States ( ; it, Stato Pontificio, ), officially the State of the Church ( it, Stato della Chiesa, ; la, Status Ecclesiasticus;), were a series of territories in the Italian Peninsula under the direct sovereign rule of the pope fro ...

, and began studying music early, learning

harpsichord A harpsichord ( it, clavicembalo; french: clavecin; german: Cembalo; es, clavecín; pt, cravo; nl, klavecimbel; pl, klawesyn) is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. This activates a row of levers that turn a trigger mechanism ...

and

violin The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...

there; later he studied

counterpoint In music, counterpoint is the relationship between two or more musical lines (or voices) which are harmonically interdependent yet independent in rhythm and melodic contour. It has been most commonly identified in the European classical tradi ...

. By the age of 17 he had already written a

mass Mass is an intrinsic property of a body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the quantity of matter in a physical body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physics. It was found that different atoms and different elementar ...

, a

motet In Western classical music, a motet is mainly a vocal musical composition, of highly diverse form and style, from high medieval music to the present. The motet was one of the pre-eminent polyphonic forms of Renaissance music. According to Margar ...

, and a setting of the

Magnificat The Magnificat (Latin for "

y soul Y, or y, is the twenty-fifth and penultimate letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. According to some authorities, it is the sixth (or sevent ...

magnifies

he Lord He or HE may refer to: Language * He (pronoun), an English pronoun * He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ * He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets * He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' ...

) is a canticle, also known as the Song of Mary, the Canticle of Mary and, in the Eastern Christianity, Byzantine tradition, the Ode of the Theotokos (). It is traditionally incorporated ...

; and in 1678 he wrote his first

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...

and

oratorio An oratorio () is a large musical composition for orchestra, choir, and soloists. Like most operas, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an instrumental ensemble, various distinguishable characters, and arias. However, opera is mus ...

. During a stay in

Parma Parma (; egl, Pärma, ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, Giuseppe Verdi, music, art, prosciutto (ham), Parmigiano-Reggiano, cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,292 ...

, where he studied with

Giuseppe Corsi da Celano Giuseppe Corsi Evangelisti (Vangelisti) (1631/1632 in County of Celano – after 10 March 1691 in Ancona or Modena)Galliano Ciliberti - Giovanni Tribuzio: ''«Un buon virtuoso, agitato dalla fortuna, dalla quale sortì vari accidenti». Gius ...

, he formed his sacred music style; most of his

psalm The Book of Psalms ( or ; he, תְּהִלִּים, , lit. "praises"), also known as the Psalms, or the Psalter, is the first book of the ("Writings"), the third section of the Tanakh, and a book of the Old Testament. The title is derived ...

settings of the 1680s and 1690s show the influence of Corsi. Later he went to

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 ...

, most likely for a production of one of his operas. In 1690 he was appointed to the post of ''Maestro di Cappella'' at S Pietro, replacing his uncle Lorenzo Perti. In 1696 he became ''Maestro di Cappella'' in another Bolognese church, S. Petronio, after the death of

Giovanni Paolo Colonna Giovanni Paolo Colonna (16 June 1637 – 28 November 1695) was an Italian composer, teacher, organist and organ builder. In addition to being chapel-master and organist of San Petronio Basilica in Bologna, he served prominent members of the cour ...

the year before. He remained in charge for exactly sixty years, until his death at age 95. Perti was a prolific composer of operas and sacred music, and was recognized as a distinguished musician not only by other composers, but by aristocrats and emperors, including Ferdinando de' Medici (one of the last of the Medici) and Emperors Leopold I and Charles VI.

Works

Perti was highly regarded for his sacred music and his operas. Of the 26 operas he composed, few remain today. Perti maintained in his Op. 1 that he was influenced by the melodic style of

Francesco Cavalli Francesco Cavalli (born Pietro Francesco Caletti-Bruni; 14 February 1602 – 14 January 1676) was a Republic of Venice, Venetian composer, organist and singer of the early Baroque music, Baroque period. He succeeded his teacher Claudio Monteverd ...

Antonio Cesti Pietro Marc'Antonio Cesti () (baptism 5 August 162314 October 1669), known today primarily as an Italian composer of the Baroque era, was also a singer (tenor), and organist. He was "the most celebrated Italian musician of his generation". Biogra ...

, and

Luigi Rossi Luigi Rossi (c. 1597 – 20 February 1653) was an Italian Baroque composer. Born in Torremaggiore, a small town near Foggia, in the ancient kingdom of Naples, at an early age he went to Naples where he studied music with the Franco-Flemish comp ...

; however he shows considerable originality in

instrumentation Instrumentation a collective term for measuring instruments that are used for indicating, measuring and recording physical quantities. The term has its origins in the art and science of scientific instrument-making. Instrumentation can refer to ...

, use of dialogue and

countermelody In music, a counter-melody (often countermelody) is a sequence of notes, perceived as a melody, written to be played simultaneously with a more prominent lead melody. In other words, it is a secondary melody played in counterpoint with the prima ...

. His output of sacred music was even more remarkable: he wrote 120

settings, for one voice, chorus,

basso continuo Basso continuo parts, almost universal in the Baroque era (1600–1750), provided the harmonic structure of the music by supplying a bassline and a chord progression. The phrase is often shortened to continuo, and the instrumentalists playing th ...

, and various other instruments; 54

motets In Western classical music, a motet is mainly a vocal musical composition, of highly diverse form and style, from high medieval music to the present. The motet was one of the pre-eminent polyphonic forms of Renaissance music. According to Margare ...

, for similar forces; 28 masses; 83 '' versetti'' and other liturgical works. He also wrote secular music, including 142 solo

cantata A cantata (; ; literally "sung", past participle feminine singular of the Italian verb ''cantare'', "to sing") is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment, typically in several movements, often involving a choir. The meaning of ...

s (one of the commonest secular vocal forms in late 17th century Italy), and some instrumental music including

sonatas Sonata (; Italian: , pl. ''sonate''; from Latin and Italian: ''sonare'' rchaic Italian; replaced in the modern language by ''suonare'' "to sound"), in music, literally means a piece ''played'' as opposed to a cantata (Latin and Italian ''canta ...

and

sinfonia Sinfonia (; plural ''sinfonie'') is the Italian word for symphony, from the Latin ''symphonia'', in turn derived from Ancient Greek συμφωνία ''symphōnia'' (agreement or concord of sound), from the prefix σύν (together) and ϕωνή (sou ...

s for a variety of instruments.

Operas

*''Marzio Coriolano'', 1683 *''Oreste in Argo'', 1685 *'' L'incoronazione di Dario'', 1686 *''La Flavia'', 1686 *''La Rosaura, 1689 *''Dionisio Siracusano'', 1689 *''Brenno in Efeso'', 1690 *''L'inganno scoperto per vendetta, 1691'' *''Il Pompeo'', 1691 *''Furio Camillo'', 1692 *''Nerone fatto cesare'', 1693 *''La forza della virtù'', 1694 *''Laodicea e Berenice'', 1695 *''Penelope la casta'', 1696 *''Fausta restituita all'impero'', 1697 *''Apollo geloso'', 1698 *''Lucio Vero'', 1700 *''Astianatte'', 1701 *''Dionisio re di Portogallo'', 1707 *''Il Venceslao, ossia Il fraticida innocente'', 1708 *''Ginevra principessa di Scozia'', 1708 *''Berenice regina d'Egitto'', 1709 *''Demetrio'', 1709 *''Rodelinda regina de' Longobardi, 1710 *''Un prologo per il cortegiano'', 1739

Oratorios

*''Due gigli porporati nel martirio di santa Serafia e santa Sabina'',

, 1679 *''Abramo vincitor de' propri affetti'',

, 1683 (rev. ''Agar'', 1689; spurious titles: ''Agar scacciata'', ''Sara'') *''Il Mosè conduttor del popolo ebreo'',

Modena Modena (, , ; egl, label=Emilian language#Dialects, Modenese, Mòdna ; ett, Mutna; la, Mutina) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) on the south side of the Po Valley, in the Province of Modena in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern I ...

, 1685 *''Oratorio della Passione'',

, 1685 (rev. ''Gesù al sepolcro'', 1703) *''La beata Imelda Lambertini bolognese'', ( :it:beata Imelda Lambertini child saint),

, 1686 *«Oratorio à 6 Voci, con concertino, e concerto grosso» (unknown subject),

(?), 1687 (lost) *''San Galgano Guidotti'',

, 1694 *''La Passione di Cristo'',

, 1694 (= ''Oratorio sopra la passione del Redentore'' = ''Affetti di compassione alla morte del Redentor della Vita''; composed in collaboration with pupils) *''Christo al Limbo'',

, 1698 *''La morte del giusto, overo Il transito di san Giuseppe'',

, 1700 (lost) *''La Morte delusa'',

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

, 1703 (collaboration to the ''pasticcio'') *''I trionfi di Giosuè'',

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...

, 1704 (collaboration to the ''pasticcio''; lost) *''La sepoltura di Cristo'',

, 1704 *''San Petronio'',

, 1720 (''pasticcio'') *''La Passione del Redentore'',

, 1721 *''I conforti di Maria Vergine addolorata per la morte del suo divin Figliuolo'',

, 1723 (spurious title: ''L'Amor Divino'') *''Il figlio prodigo'', undated *''Oratorio della nascita del Signore'', undated *''San Francesco'', undated *''La sepoltura di Cristo'', undated (attributed to Perti; spurious title: ''San Giovanni'')

Selected recordings

* ''Messa a 5'', Silvia Vajente, Pamela Lucciarini, Gloria Banditelli, Orchestra Barocca di Bologna, Paolo Faldi * ''Messa a 8'', New College Choir, Cappella Musicale, Sergio Vartolo * ''Messa a 12''. Color Temporis Vocal Ensemble, Collegium usicum Almae Matris Chamber Choir, Choir & Orchestra of the Cappella Musicale Di San Petronio. * ''Lamentations''. Capella Musicale di S. Petronio di Bologna, dir.

Sergio Vartolo Sergio Vartolo (Bologna, 1944) is an Italian harpsichordist, organist, musicologist and conductor; in past also active as countertenor. In 1996 he was appointed maestro de capella of the Cappella Musicale di San Petronio di Bologna founded in 1436. ...

* ''Musiche sacre'' Arìon Choir & Consort, dir Giulio Prandi. Disc with ''Amadeus'' magazine, Italy 2010Amadeus Magazine May 2010
* ''Cantate morali e spirituali'' op.1, 2 CDs. Frisani, Calvi, Lepore, Cappella musicale San Petronio, Sergio Vartolo * ''Abramo Vincitor De' Proprii Affetti'', Laura Antonaz, Elena Biscuola, Gastone Sarti, Ensemble "Il Continuo"

Bongiovanni (record label) F. Bongiovanni (1905) of Bologna is an Italian classical music publisher and, since 1975, classical record label. The company was founded by Francesco Bongiovanni to publish the works of then modern composers such as Respighi, Zandonai, Alfano, Pi ...

* ''Gesu al Sepolcro''. Akerlund, Zanetti,

Claudio Cavina La Venexiana (founded 1995) is an Italian early music ensemble founded and led by Claudio Cavina, an Italian countertenor and conductor. Cavina studied in Bologna with the American singer and musicologist Candace Smith, and then with the Swiss bar ...

, Schultze, Cechetti, Cappella Musicale di S. Petronio, Vartolo * ''San Petronio'' (Oratorio), Pace, Nirouet, Zennaro, Spagnoli, Ensemble Seicentonovecento, Flavio Colusso. Bongiovanni 1990 * ''Il Mosè conduttor del popolo ebreo''. Mosè: Gloria Banditelli; Faraone: Marco Bussi, Generale di Faraone: Laura Antonaz. Ensemble Les Nations. Maria Luisa Baldassari. Tactus (record label) TC 661603 (1 CD, January 2013).

References

External links

*
"L'Inganno scoperto per Vendetta" (1691), Modern performing edition of opening sinfonia edited by Mark Latham and published by Breitkopf & Härtel, Wiesbaden, 1999, ISMN: M-004-48847-8
{{DEFAULTSORT:Perti, Giacomo Antonio Italian Baroque composers 1661 births 1756 deaths Musicians from Bologna Italian male classical composers 17th-century Italian composers 18th-century Italian composers 18th-century Italian male musicians 17th-century male musicians