Giovanni Legrenzi (baptized August 12, 1626 – May 27, 1690) was an Italian composer of opera, vocal and instrumental music, and organist, 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 one of the most prominent composers 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 late 17th century, and extremely influential in the development of late Baroque idioms across northern Italy.

Life

Legrenzi was born at

Clusone Clusone (Bergamasque: ) is an Italian town and ''comune'' in the province of Bergamo, Lombardy, Italy. Located in the Val Seriana, it received the honorary title of city on 15 May 1957 with a presidential decree which ratified a Napoleon's promise ...

, near Bergamo, then part of the

Republic of Venice The Republic of Venice ( vec, Repùblega de Venèsia) or Venetian Republic ( vec, Repùblega Vèneta, links=no), traditionally known as La Serenissima ( en, Most Serene Republic of Venice, italics=yes; vec, Serenìsima Repùblega de Venèsia, ...

. His father, Giovanni Maria Legrenzi, was a professional violinist and, to some extent, a composer. We know Legrenzi had two brothers and two sisters, though one of the brothers, Marco, apparently a talented musician who performed with his father and brother in the 1660s, is not mentioned in Legrenzi's will: it is presumed that he died young. His remaining brother and sisters are both mentioned in his will. Legrenzi was probably taught largely at home, and his performance skills developed at the local church, and it can also be assumed there was music-making in the house. Legrenzi received his first appointment in Bergamo, as Organist at Santa Maria Maggiore, a magnificent church with a celebrated musical history. Following ordination as a priest in 1651, he was appointed as a resident chaplain at the church, though he continued to be actively involved in the music, and was given the title of First Organist in 1653, at about the time

Maurizio Cazzati Maurizio Cazzati (1 March 1616 – 28 September 1678) was a northern Italian composer of the seventeenth century. Biography Cazzati was born in Luzzara in the Duchy of Mantua. In spite of being almost unknown today, during his lifetime he served ...

was appointed ''maestro di cappella''. Legrenzi's first publication, music for Mass and Vespers, appeared in 1654. His appointment as organist was not reconfirmed at the end of the year owing to his apparent involvement in a minor gambling scandal, though he was reinstated by mid-February 1655. Legrenzi resigned from his position at Bergamo towards the end of 1655, and in 1656 became ''maestro di cappella'' at the Academy of the Holy Spirit in Ferrara. The Academy was not a learned society, but a fraternity of laymen which presented predominantly liturgical services with music. It had a small but very good musical establishment with an impressive tradition, and effectively addressed the needs of the whole aristocratic community of Ferrara, with whom Legrenzi cemented relationships that, like those he had already established in Bergamo, would serve him well throughout his life. The position at the Academy of the Holy Spirit would have left Legrenzi with ample time for other pursuits. By the early 1660s he had already published eight volumes, and had broken into the elite world of opera, gaining his first performances in Venice in 1664. We know little of certainty about Legrenzi's activities between approximately 1665 and 1670, a situation considerably exacerbated by the destruction of local records during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. He ended his association with the Academy of the Holy Spirit at some point, and does not appear to have had a permanent position of any sort for several years, though it is unlikely that he was in financial difficulty. He had land at Clusone and the proceeds from his publications, several of which had already gone into second editions, as well as performance fees. He also published his largest volume, the huge collection for double choir, during this period. Legrenzi seems to have been well settled in Venice by 1670. He took a position as a music teacher at Santa Maria dei Derelitti (commonly called the Ospedaletto), remaining until 1676, and was busy with further publications, musical commissions, especially oratorios, occasional performances, and more. In 1676 he was a finalist for appointment as ''maestro'' at

San Marco San Marco is one of the six sestiere (Venice), sestieri of Venice, lying in the heart of the city as the main place of Venice. San Marco also includes the island of San Giorgio Maggiore. Although the district includes Piazza San Marco, Saint ...

in succession to

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 ...

, losing by a single vote to

Natale Monferrato Natale Monferrato (1603–1685) was an Italian baroque composer. He was a pupil of Giovanni Rovetta, then was a singer at St Mark's Basilica in Venice, and then with the aid of Francesco Cavalli vicemaestro, or ''maestro di coro'' (1647–76). On ...

. Later in the year he became ''maestro di coro'' of the Ospedale dei Mendicanti, where he remained until 1682 when he succeeded

Antonio Sartorio Antonio Sartorio (1630 – 30 December 1680) was an Italian composer active mainly in Venice, Italy, and in Hanover, Germany. He was a leading composer of operas in his native Venice in the 1660s and 1670s and was also known for composing in o ...

as ''vice-maestro'' at San Marco. He was by this time (along with

Carlo Pallavicino Carlo Pallavicino (Pallavicini; c. 1630 – 29 January 1688) was an Italian composer. Pallavicino was born at Salò. From 1666 to 1673, he worked at the Dresden court; from 1674 to 1685, at the '' Ospedale degli Incurabili'' (a conservatory wher ...

) the leading opera composer of his day, with ten commissions in the five years to 1685. Legrenzi succeeded Monferrato as ''maestro di cappella'' at San Marco in April 1685. He was by this time probably in failing health, and the last few years of his life were clouded by sickness. He took little part in the services at San Marco from the later part of 1687, where performances were increasingly in the hands of his ''vice-maestro'',

Gian Domenico Partenio Gian Domenico Partenio () was a Venetian composer of operas during the Baroque period. He served as vice ''maestro'' of St Mark's Basilica's Cappella Marciana from 1685, before succeeding Giovanni Battista Volpe as from 1692 until 1701. In 167 ...

. Legrenzi's death on 27 May 1690 from the "mal di petra" (a colic-related illness, probably

kidney stones Kidney stone disease, also known as nephrolithiasis or urolithiasis, is a crystallopathy where a solid piece of material (kidney stone) develops in the urinary tract. Kidney stones typically form in the kidney and leave the body in the urine s ...

) was accompanied by excruciating pain. Legrenzi's legacy lived on for some years after his death. His great-nephew

Giovanni Varischino Giovanni may refer to: * Giovanni (name), an Italian male given name and surname * Giovanni (meteorology), a Web interface for users to analyze NASA's gridded data * '' Don Giovanni'', a 1787 opera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, based on the legend ...

inherited his music and books, and produced four posthumous publications.

Music

Legrenzi was active in most of the genres current in northern Italy in the late 17th century, including sacred vocal music, opera, oratorio, and varieties of instrumental music. Though best known as a composer of instrumental sonatas, he was predominantly a composer of liturgical music with a distinctly dramatic character. The bulk of his instrumental music may also be included in this category, since it would have been used primarily as a substitute for liturgical items at Mass or Vespers. Legrenzi composed nineteen operas from 1662–1685, of which the most successful were ''Achille in Sciro'' (1664), ''

La divisione del mondo ''La divisione del mondo'' (en: ''The Division of the World'') is an opera in 3 acts by composer Giovanni Legrenzi. The opera uses an Italian language libretto by Giulio Cesare Corradi and was commissioned by the Marquis Guido Rangoni. The oper ...

'', ''I due cesari'' (1683), ''

Il Giustino '' Il Giustino'' is an opera in three acts by composer Giovanni Legrenzi. The work uses an Italian language libretto by Nicolò Beregan based on the life of Emperor Justin I. The opera premiered on 7 February 1683 at the Teatro San Salvador in ...

'' (1683), and ''Publio Elio Pertinace'' (1684). His operas were immensely popular (and extravagantly presented) in their day, though, like his oratorios, few have survived. His later dance music was certainly connected with the operatic repertoire, though the function of an early collection (Op. 4, which is musicologically famous for its inclusion of six pieces designated ''sonate da camera'') is less clear. Legrenzi's music is steadily gaining interest as scores and transcriptions become more widely available. Early music groups are increasingly including the instrumental sonatas and selections of the devotional and liturgical music in concerts. There have been significant revivals of some of the surviving operas. Editions of ''

'' and ''

'' by the German conductor

Thomas Hengelbrock Thomas Hengelbrock (born 9 June 1958) is a German violinist, musicologist, stage director and conductor. Born in Wilhelmshaven, Hengelbrock studied the violin with Rainer Kussmaul. He started his career in Würzburg and Freiburg im Breisgau. ...

have had performances at the

Schwetzingen Festival The Schwetzingen Festival (German: Schwetzinger Festspiele, now Schwetzinger SWR Festspiele) is an early summer festival of opera and other classical music presented each year from May to early June in Schwetzingen, Germany. In 1952, the broadca ...

, the Innsbruck Festival of Early Music and the Echternach Music Festival, and there was a major revival of ''

'' in a co-production between the Opéra national du Rhin and Opéra national de Lorraine in February/March 2019. Students of Legrenzei include

Antonio Lotti Antonio Lotti (5 January 1667 – 5 January 1740) was an Italian composer of the Baroque era. Biography Lotti was born in Venice, although his father Matteo was ''Kapellmeister'' at Hanover at the time. Oral tradition says that in 1682, Lotti be ...

Francesco Gasparini Francesco Gasparini (19 March 1661 – 22 March 1727) was an Italian Baroque composer and teacher whose works were performed throughout Italy, and also on occasion in Germany and England. Biography Born in Camaiore, near Lucca, he studied in ...

Tomaso Albinoni Tomaso Giovanni Albinoni (8 June 1671 – 17 January 1751) was an Italian composer of the Baroque era. His output includes operas, concertos, sonatas for one to six instruments, sinfonias, and solo cantatas. While famous in his day as an opera comp ...

, and Giovanni Sebenico.

Published works

# ''Concerti Musicali per uso di Chiesa.'' Op. 1 (Venice, Alessandro Vincenti, 1654) # ''Sonata a due, e tre.'' Op. 2 (Venice, Francesco Magni, 1655) # ''Harmonia d'affetti Devoti a due, tre, e quatro, voci.'' Op. 3 (Venice, Alessandro Vincenti, 1655) # ''Sonate dà Chiesa, e dà Camera, Correnti, Balletti, Alemane, Sarabande a tre, doi violini, e violone. Libro Secondo.'' Op. 4 (Venice, Francesco Magni, 1656) # ''Salmi a cinque, tre voci, e due violini.'' Op. 5 (Venice, Francesco Magni, 1657) # ''Sentimenti Devoti Espressi con le musica di due, e tre voci. Libro Secondo.'' Op. 6 (Venice, Francesco Magni detto Gardano, 1660). A second edition was published in Antwerp in 1665. # ''Compiete con le Lettanie & Antifone Della B.V. a 5. voci.'' Op. 7 (Venice, Francesco Magni detto Gardano, 1662) # ''Sonate a due, tre, cinque, a sei stromenti. Libro 3.'' Op. 8 (Venice, Francesco Magni, 1663) # ''Sacri e Festivi Concerti. Messa e Salmi a due chori con stromenti a beneplacito.'' Op. 9 (Venice, Francesco Magni Gardano, 1667) # ''Acclamationi Divote a voce sola. Libro Primo.'' Op. 10 (Bologna, Giacomo Monti, 1670) # ''

La Cetra Cetra, a Latin word borrowed from Greek language, Greek, is an Italian descendant of ''κιθάρα'' (cithara). It is a synonym for the cittern but has been used for the citole and cithara (the lyre-form) and cythara (the lyre-form developing i ...

. Libro Quarto di Sonate a due tre e quattro stromenti.'' Op. 10 (Venice, Francesco Magni Gardano, 1673, reprinted 1682) # ''Cantate, e Canzonette a voce sola.'' Op. 12 (Bologna, Giacomo Monti, 1676) # ''Idee Armoniche Estese per due e tre voci.'' Op. 13 (Venice, Francesco Magni detto Gardano, 1678) # ''Echi di Riverenza di Cantate, e Canzoni. Libro Secondo.'' Op. 14 (Bologna, Giacomo Monti, 1678) # ''Sacri Musicali Concerti a due, e tre voci. Libro Terzo.'' Op. 15 (Venice, Gioseppe Sala, 1689) # ''Balletti e Correnti a cinque stromenti, con il basso continuo per il cembalo. Libro Quinto Postumo.'' Op. 16 (Venice, Gioseppe Sala, 1691) # ''Motetti Sacri a voce sola con tre strumenti.'' Op. 17 (Venice, Gioseppe Sala, 1692) # ''Sonate a 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 e 7 istrumenti con tromba, o senza, overo flauto'' Op. 18 (Venice, Gioseppe Sala, 1693) (no copy survives) # ''Voci geniali, raccolte in duetti e terzetti'' Op. 19 (Venice, Gioseppe Sala, 1698) (no copy survives) Note: Two collections were published as opus 10, ''Acclamationi Divote'' (1670) and ''

'' (1673). The printing of ''La Cetra'' as Opus 10 appears to be an error on the part of the Venetian publisher, who was presumably unaware of the collection published in Bologna in 1670: the correct numbering of the publications resumed with Opus 12.

Unpublished works

A number of works survive in manuscript copies only. Most can be ascribed confidently to Legrenzi, though there are a few of less certain attribution. Among the most important of these works are: * The ''Messa a cinque voci con stromenti'', found at Oxford. * The ''Missa quinque vocibus'' found at Loreto. This Mass, dated 1689 and surviving in a magnificently bound volume, may have been presented as a votive offering. * The ''Messa a 16'' for four choirs and organ continuo held in the

Vatican Library The Vatican Apostolic Library ( la, Bibliotheca Apostolica Vaticana, it, Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana), more commonly known as the Vatican Library or informally as the Vat, is the library of the Holy See, located in Vatican City. Formally es ...

. * The ''Prosa pro mortuis'', a complete setting for double choir and instruments of the sequence "Dies irae" from the Requiem Mass. * A unique setting for double choir and instruments of

Matins Matins (also Mattins) is a canonical hour in Christian liturgy, originally sung during the darkness of early morning. The earliest use of the term was in reference to the canonical hour, also called the vigil, which was originally celebrated by ...

for Christmas Day, including the Invitatory, Psalms and Te Deum; and concluding with the Introit for the First Mass of Christmas. * ''Intret in conspectu'', a motet for 6 voices, known from a single source copied out by

Handel George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel (; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque composer well known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concertos. Handel received his training i ...

, who drew on Legrenzi's motet in the chorus 'To thy dark servant' in the oratorio ''Samson''. * ''Credidi propter quod locutus sum'', a psalm setting for solo alto, strings and continuo, which appears likely to be a unique example of Legrenzi's own hand, as there is evidence that it is an autograph. * ''Laudate pueri'', a psalm setting for five voices, strings and continuo and, unusually, a trumpet. * ''Spirate aure serenae'', a motet for solo soprano, strings and continuo which provides for a theorbo to double or replace the violone. There are in addition a few more liturgical pieces, a number of cantatas and the unusual 'serenata' ''Notte, madri d'horrori''.

Operas

# ''Nino, il giusto'' (1662) # ''Achille in Sciro'' (1663) # ''

Zenobia e Radamisto ''Zenobia e Radamisto'' is an opera in 3 acts and nine scenes by composer Giovanni Legrenzi. The opera uses an Italian language libretto by Ippolito Bentivoglio (1611–1685). The third opera written by Legrenzi, the work premiered on 1 June 16 ...

'' † (1665) # ''Tiridate'' (1668) # ''

Eteocle e Polinice ''Eteocle e Polinice'' (Eteocles and Polynices) is an opera in 3 acts composed by Giovanni Legrenzi with an Italian language libretto by Tebaldo Fattorini based on '' The Thebaid''. The opera premiered at the Teatro San Salvador in Venice on 13 ...

'' † (1674) # ''

'' † (1675) # ''Adone in Cipro'' ‡ (1676) # ''Germanico sul Reno'' † (1676) # ''

Totila Totila, original name Baduila (died 1 July 552), was the penultimate King of the Ostrogoths, reigning from 541 to 552 AD. A skilled military and political leader, Totila reversed the tide of the Gothic War, recovering by 543 almost all the t ...

'' † (1677) # ''Antioco il grande'' ‡ (1681) # ''Creso'' ‡ (1681) # ''Pausania'' (1681) # ''Lisimaco riamato da Alessandro'' ‡ (1682) # ''Ottaviano Cesare Agusto'' (1682) # ''I due cesari'' ‡ (1683) # ''

'' † (1683) # ''L'anarchia dell'imperio'' ‡ (1683) # ''Publio Elio Pertinace'' ‡ (1684) # ''Ifianassa e Melampo'' (1685) † Surviving scores.
‡ Arias from these operas survive in one or more sources.

Oratorios

* ''Oratorio del giuditio'' (1665) * ''Lamenti Profetici nella Passione di Cristo'' (1671) * ''Sedecia'' † (1671) * ''Il creation del mondo'' (1672) * ''Sisara'' (1672) * ''Moisè'' (1672) * ''La vendita del cuor humano'' † (or ''Il prezzo del cuor humano'') ‡ (1673) * ''La morte del cor penitente'' † (1673) * ''San Giovanni Battista'' (1673) * ''Adamo et Eva'' (1674) * ''Gli sponsali d'Ester'' (1675) * ''Decollatione di S. Giovanni'' (1678) * ''Erodiade'' (lib. Neri) (1687) * ''Erodiade'' (lib. Piccioli) (1687) † Surviving scores.
‡ Whether or not ''La vendita del cuor humano'' is in fact a Legrenzi work or

Pietro Andrea Ziani Pietro Andrea Ziani (1616 in Venice 1684 in Naples) was an Italian organist and composer.Rappresentazione sacra: geistliches Musikdrama am Wiener Kaiserhof Richard Bletschacher - 1985 PIETRO ANDREA ZIANI Wurde am 21. 12. 1616 in Venedig getauft. ...

's ''Il cuore humano all'incanto'' remains to be demonstrated.

References

* Stephen Bonta: ''The Church Sonatas of Giovanni Legrenzi.'' Ph.D. Dissertation, Harvard University, 1964. * Stephen Bonta: "Giovanni Legrenzi", Grove Music Online ed. L. Macy (Accessed June 27, 2005)
(subscription access)
* Stephen Bonta: ''Studies in Italian Sacred and Instrumental Music in the 17th Century.'' Burlington, Ashgate Publishing Co, 2003. * Rudolf Bossard: ''Giovanni Legrenzi – Il Giustino: Eine Monograph; Studie.'' Ph.D. Dissertation, Basel, 1987. Published as ''Il Giustino; eine mongraphische Studie.'' Baden-Baden, Koerner, 1988. Collection d'études musicologiques ; 79. * Tiziana Brugnoni: ''Giovanni Legrenzi, Germanico sul Reno: Studio introduttivo ed edizione critica.'' M.A. Dissertation, Università di Pavia, 1991. * L. Glenn Cockerham: ''The chamber sonatas and dances of Giovanni Legrenzi.'' Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Kansas, 1988. * Luigi Collarile: ''Sacri Concerti. Studi sul mottetto a Venezia nel secondo Siecento.'' Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Freiburg, 2010. *

Julia Davids Julia Davids née Olson (born March 17, 1972) is a founding member and artistic director of the Canadian Chamber Choir. She is the music director of the North Shore Choral Society. Early life Davids was born and raised in London, Ontario. ...

: ''Music for Vespers of the B.V.M. by Giovanni Legrenzi: A modern performing edition.'' D.Mus. Dissertation, Northwestern University, 2006. * Reinmar Emans: ''Die einstimmigen Kantaten, Canzonetten und Serenaden Giovanni Legrenzis.'' Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Bonn, 1984 * Piero Fogaccia: ''Giovanni Legrenzi.'' Bergamo, Edizioni Orobiche, 1954. * John Alexander MacDonald: ''The sacred vocal music of Giovanni Legrenzi.'' 2 vols. Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Michigan, 1964. * Paola Palermo and Giulia Pecis Cavagna: ''La cappella musicale di Santa Maria Maggiore a Bergamo dal 1637 al 1810.'' (Studi Sulla Storia Della Musica in Lombardia, v). Turnhout, Brepols, 2007. . * Francesco Passadore and Franco Rossi: ''La sottigliezza dell'intendimento. Catalogo tematico di Giovanni Legrenzi.'' Venice: Edizioni Fondazione Levi, 2002. * Francesco Passadore and Franco Rossi (eds.): ''Giovanni Legrenzi e la Cappella ducale di San Marco : atti dei convegni internazionali di studi, Venezia, 24–26 maggio 1990, Clusone, 14–16 settembre 1990.'' Florence : Olschki, 1994. * Gale Richard Price: ''"II sedecia" A seventeenth-century oratorio by Giovanni Legrenzi.'' D.M.A. Dissertation, University of Kentucky, 1981 * John H. Roberts (ed.): ''La lotta d'Hercole con Acheloo / Agostino Steffani. Miscellaneous manuscript sources.'' Handel sources: materials for the study of Handel's borrowing ; 9. New York: Garland, 1986. (motet ''Intret in conspectu'') *

Eleanor Selfridge-Field Eleanor () is a feminine given name, originally from an Old French adaptation of the Old Provençal name ''Aliénor''. It is the name of a number of women of royalty and nobility in western Europe during the High Middle Ages. The name was introd ...

: ''A New Chronology of Venetian Opera and Related Genres, 1660–1760.'' Palo Alto, Stanford University Press, 2007. *

: ''Pallade veneta : writings on music in Venetian society, 1650–1750.'' Venezia : Fondazione Levi, 1985. *

: ''Venetian Instrumental Music, from Gabrieli to Vivaldi.'' New York, Dover Publications, Third Rev. Ed. 1994. (See also ''Venetian instrumental ensemble music in the seventeenth century.'' D.Phil. Dissertation, University of Oxford, 1969.) * Umberto Scarpetta: ''Ritratto di un musicista barocco: Giovanni Legrenzi.'' Ph.D. Dissertation, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 1976. * Hendrik Schulze: ''Die Figur des Odysseus in der venezianischen Oper des 17. Jahrhunderts.'' Ph.D. Dissertation, Heidelberg, 2002. Published as ''Odysseus in Venedig: Sujetwahl und Rollenkonzeption in der venezianischen Oper des 17. Jahrhunderts.'' Frankfurt: Peter Lang, 2004. . * J. David Swale: ''A thematic catalogue of the music of Giovanni Legrenzi (with an introduction and commentaries).'' 3 vols. Ph.D. Dissertation, The University of Adelaide, 1984. * Karin Anna Swanson: ''The secular vocal chamber music of Giovanni Legrenzi:'' M.Mus. Dissertation, University of Illinois, 1964.

Facsimiles

* ''Acclamationi divote a voce sola.'' Bibliotheca musica Bononiensis. Sezione IV 207 : Bologna, Forni 1980. * ''Cantatas by

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 Giovanni Legrenzi ; selected and introduced by David Burrows and Stephen Bonta.'' The Italian cantata in the seventeenth century ; vol.6. New York : Garland, 1986. . (Nos.1 – 12 from Opus 14, and three manuscript works.) * ''Echi di riverenza : di cantate e canzoni.'' Archivum musicum. Cantata barocca ; 7. Firenze : Studio per edizioni scelte, 1980. . * ''Il Giustino : melodramma in tre atti.'' Collezione settecentesca Bettarini ; no. 12. Milano : Casa editrice Nazionalmusic, c. 1980. * ''

.'' Monumenta Lombarda, Libri Antiqui Fototypice Expressi, 2. Bologna, 1970. King's Music (now distributed through The Early Music CompanyAndrew Green, "King's Music bankrupted in fraud case" in ''Early Music Today'', October/November 2009, p.4) produces good quality photocopies of the complete collections ''Sonate a due, tre, cinque, a sei stromenti'' (Op. 8, 1663), ''Idee Armoniche Estese'' (Op. 13, 1678) and ''Balletti e Correnti'' (Op. 16, 1691).

Editions

* Alessandro Bares, Pietro Zazzetta (ed.), ''

''. Musedita, Albese con Cassano, 2000. (The whole of ''

'', Opus 11(10).) * Alessandro Bares (ed.), ''Sonate a due, e tre''. Musedita, Albese con Cassano, 2006. (The whole of Opus 2.) * Alessandro Bares (ed.), ''Sonate a due, trè, cinque, e sei Stromenti''. Musedita, Albese con Cassano, 2004. (The whole of Opus 8.) * Stephen Bonta (ed.): ''The instrumental music of Giovanni Legrenzi : sonate a due e tre, opus 2, 1655.'' Harvard Publications in Music, 14. Harvard University Press, 1984. . * Stephen Bonta (ed.): ''

: sonate a due, tre e quattro stromenti, libro quattro, opus 10, 1673.'' Harvard Publications in Music, 17. Harvard University Press, 1992. . *

Howard Mayer Brown Howard Mayer Brown (April 13, 1930 – February 20, 1993) was an American musicologist. Brown obtained his BA from Harvard in 1951 and his Ph.D. in 1959, studying under Walter Piston and Otto Gombosi among others. He conducted and performed o ...

: ''Italian opera librettos : 1640–1770.'' Italian opera, 1640–1770 v. 60. New York : Garland, 1979. . *

: ''Totila.'' Italian opera, 1640–1770 v. 9. New York : Garland, 1978. . * Julia de Clerck: ''Prosa pro mortuis (Dies irae)'', Musicologica neolovaniensia ; musica sacra 1. Louvain-la-Neuve : Institut supérieur d'archéologie et d'histoire de l'art, 1981. * Stefano Faglia, Franca Saini (ed.): ''Eteocle e Polinice. Opera in 3 Atti.'' Venezia 1675. Monza, Accademia Musicale IAMR, 2003. Parma, L'oca del Cairo Edizioni Musicali, 2003. * Stefano Faglia, Franca Saini (ed.): ''Il Giustino. Opera in 3 atti.'' Venezia 1683. Monza, Accademia Musicale IAMR, 2006. Parma, L'oca del Cairo Edizioni Musicali, 2006. * Stefano Faglia, Franca Saini (ed.): ''Zenobia e Radamisto. Opera in 3 atti.'' Ferrara 1665. Monza, Accademia Musicale IAMR, 2013. Lucca, Libreria Musicale Italiana (LIM), 2013. * Joyce Johnson (ed.): ''Giovanni Legrenzi 1629–1690 II Sedecia / Bernardo Pasquini 1637–1710 Sant'Agnese.'' The Italian oratorio, 1650–1800 ; 8. New York, Garland, 1986. . *

Jeffrey Kurtzman Jeffrey Kurtzman is an American pianist, musicologist and editor. A professor of musicology at the Washington University in St. Louis, he is known for his research on Italian sacred music of the 17th century, especially Monteverdi's ''Vespro della ...

(ed.): Vesper and Compline Music for Three Principal Voices. Seventeenth-Century Italian Sacred Music ; 13. New York, Garland, 1998. . (''Confitebor tibi'' from Opus 1) * Jeffrey Kurtzman (ed.): Vesper and Compline Music for Four Principal Voices. Seventeenth-Century Italian Sacred Music ; 14. New York: Garland, 1998. . (''Dixit Dominus'' from Opus 1) * Jeffrey Kurtzman (ed.): Vesper and Compline Music for Five Principal Voices, Parts I-II. Seventeenth-Century Italian Sacred Music ; 15–16. New York: Garland, 1999–2000. (I) (II). (''Laudate Dominum'' from Opus 1, in Volume 16) * Jeffrey Kurtzman (ed.): Vesper and Compline Music for Eight Principal Voices, Part One-Two. Seventeenth-Century Italian Sacred Music ; 18–19. New York: Garland, c.2001–2002. (I) (II). (''In exitu Israel'' from Opus 9, in Volume 19) * Anne Schnoebelen (ed.): Masses by Maurizio Cazzati, Giovanni Antonio Grossi, Giovanni Legrenzi. Seventeenth-Century Italian Sacred Music; 7. New York : Garland, 1997. . (The Mass from Opus 9) *

Albert Seay Albert Seay (9 November 1916 – 7 January 1984) was an American musicologist who specialized in medieval and Renaissance music and theory. His publications included critical editions of works by the composers Jacques Arcadelt and Carpentras, a ...

(ed.): ''Cantatas and Canzonets for Solo voice, Part I: Music for alto and bass voices'' ; ''Part II: Music for soprano or tenor voice.'' Recent Researches in the music of the Baroque era, 14, 15 : Madison, A-R Editions, 1972. (The whole of Opus 12.) *

(ed.): ''Sonate da camera : opus 4, for two violins and basso continuo'', Musica da camera, 55. Oxford University Press, c.1979. (Nos. 7–30 from Opus 4) . *

(ed.): ''Sonate da chiesa, opus 4 ndopus 8 (1656–1663).'' Le Pupitre, collection of ancient music published under the direction of

François Lesure François Lesure (23 May 1923 in Paris – 21 June 2001) was a French librarian and musicologist. Biography François Lesure studied at the Sorbonne, the École nationale des chartes (graduated in 1950), the École pratique des hautes études ...

, 4. Paris : Heugel, 1968. (Nos. 1–6 from Opus 4; Nos. 7–10 from Opus 8) Prima la musica! produce Urtext performing editions of chamber and sacred music from several of Legrenzi's printed collections. King's Music (see "Facsimiles" above) produces facsimile or Urtext performing editions of a number of individual works.

Recordings

Major recordings dedicated to Legrenzi include: * ''Acclamationi Divote; Echi di Riverenza.'' Cappella Mauriziana; dir. Mario Valsecchi. Antes BM-CD 91.1016. [Motets from ''Acclamationi Divote'' Op. 10 (1670): ''Angelorum ad convivia'', Op. 10/1; ''Durum cor'' Op. 10/3; ''En homo quae pro te'' Op. 10/9; ''Plaudite vocibus'' Op. 10/10; Cantatas from ''Echi di Riverenza'' Op. 14 (1678): ''Catene scioglietimi'' Op. 14/1; ''A pie d'un fonte'' Op. 14/3; ''A battaglia'' Op. 14/6.] * ''Concerti musicali per uso di Chiesa, Op. 1.'
Oficina Musicum
direttore Riccardo Favero
Dynamic
CDS 653. he whole of Op. 1, both Mass and Vespers "of a Confessor" including proper antiphons. Also including two sonatas, ''La Bevilacqua'' Op. 8/6 and ''La Mosta'' Op. 8/3.* ''Dies Irae – Sonate a quattro viole – Motetti.''

Ricercar Consort The Ricercar Consort is a Belgian instrumental ensemble founded in 1980 together with the Ricercar record label of Jérôme Lejeune. The founding members were violinist François Fernandez, organist Bernard Foccroulle, and viola da gamba player ...

, dir.

Philippe Pierlot Philippe Pierlot (born 1958) is a Belgian viola da gamba player and a conductor in historically informed performance. He is also an academic teacher at the royal conservatories of The Hague and Brussels. Career Born in Liège, Pierlot learne ...

. Ricercar RIC 236. 2001. [''Prosa pro mortuis. Dies irae''; ''

'', Op. 11/17, Op. 11/18; Motets ''Angelorum ad convivia'' Op. 10/1 and ''Suspiro Domine'' Op. 10/11] * ''Il Cuor umano all'incanto (1673).'' Ensemble Legrenzi. TACTUS TC 621201, 2003 [The oratorio ''La vendita del cuor umano''] (This recording is also available on Oratorios of the Italian Baroque. Ensemble Legrenzi and Complesso Pro Musica Firenze.

Brilliant Classics Brilliant Classics is a classical music label based in the Dutch town of Leeuwarden. It is renowned for releasing super-budget-priced editions on CD of the complete works of J.S. Bach, Mozart, Beethoven and many other composers. The label also sp ...

93354, 2007. Includes Carissimi's Oratorio della SS Vergine and Jonas.) * ''La Cetra.'' Ensemble Baroque de Nice, dir.

Gilbert Bezzina Gilbert Bezzina is a French violinist and conductor of baroque opera. Gilbert Bezzina studied violin at the Conservatory of Nice and continues to perform and record as a violinist. In 1965 he founded the “Société de Musique Ancienne de Nice� ...

. Ligia LIG 030110902, (2003) p. 2: ''La Cornara'' Op. 2/1, ''La Spilimberga'' Op. 2/2, ''La Donata'', Op. 2/7, ''La Foscari'', Op. 2/8 ''La Torriana'', Op. 2/15; ''La Cetra'': Op. 11/3, 4, 9, 13, 14, 15 and 16.* ''La Morte del Cor Penitente.'' Cecchetti; Invernizzi; Nmircovich; Sonatori De La Gioiosa Marca. Divox 79504. 1996

he oratorio ''La Morte del Cor Penitente'' 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'' ...

* ''La vendita del core : oratorio en duex parties.'' Roger Blanchard (cond.). Paris, Les Discophiles Français DF 730.057. 1962. his recording is available for downloading at www.dismarc.org.* ''Missa Opus 1 – Sonate d'église.'' Ensemble Olivier Opdebeeck Cori Spezzati, dir. Olivier Opdebeek.

Pierre Verany Disques Pierre Verany is a French classical music record label named after its founder and producer. Verany, a producer and sound engineer, ran his own label "Disques Pierre Verany" for many years — concentrating on Italian and French baroque m ...

label PV700033. 2005. (Op. 1: Kyrie, Gloria, Credo; Op. 4 Sonatas ''La Benaglia'' Op. 4/3, ''La Tassa'' Op. 4/4; Op. 3 motet ''Adoramus te'' Op. 3/14.] * ''O dilectissime Jesu. Motetti e Sonate.'
Monika Mauch
(sop.), Les Cornets Noirs. ORF CD 355. 2003. [Op. 8 Sonatas: ''La Pia'' Op. 8/2, ''La Rosetta'' Op. 8/5, ''La Boiarda'' Op. 8/8, ''La Squarzona'' Op. 8/9, ''La Cremona'' Op. 8/10, ''La Buscha'' Op. 8/13; ''

'': Sonata sesta Op. 11/12, Sonata prima Op. 11/13; Op. 17 Motets: ''O dilectissime Jesu'' Op. 17/1, ''O vos delitiarum cultores'' Op. 17/2, ''Coronemus non rosis'' Op. 17/3, ''Omnes gentes'' Op. 17/4.] * ''Sonate & Balletti.'' Clematis. Ricercar RIC356, 2016. [Op. 2: ''La Cornara'' Op. 2/1, ''La Frangipana'' Op. 2/3, ''La Foscari'' Op. 2/8, ''La Zabarella'' Op. 2/10; Op. 4: ''La Brembata'' Op. 4/1, ''La Pezzoli'' Op. 4/6, Corrente terza Op. 4/15, Balletto quarto Op. 4/23, Sarabanda prima Op. 4/25, Alamanda terza ''La Piloni'' Op. 4/30; Op. 8: ''L'Obizza'' Op. 8/4, ''La Squarzona'' Op. 8/9, ''La Cremona'' Op. 8/10, ''La Marinona'' Op. 8/12, ''La Basadonna'' Op. 8/14; ''

'', Op. 11: Sonata seconda Op. 11/2, Sonata quarta Op. 11/4, Sonata seconda Op. 11/8, Sonata prima Op. 11/1, Sonata sesta Op. 11/18; Op. 16: Balletto primo Op. 16/1, Balletto secondo Op. 16/3, Corrente terza Op. 16/5, Corrente nona Op. 16/18] * ''Sonate e Balletti per strumenti ad arco.'' Sonatori de la Gioiosa Marca. Rivo Alto CRR9014, 1991. [Op. 8 Sonatas: ''La Basadona'' Op. 8/14, ''La Cremona'' Op.8/10, ''La Crispa'' Op. 8/16; ''

'' Op. 11: Sonata quinta, Op. 11/11, Sonata sesta Op. 11/12, Sonata prima Op. 11/13, Sonata sesta "o come piace" Op. 11/18; Opus 16 (1691): Balletto terzo, Op. 16/5, Corrente terza, Op. 16/6, Corrente nona Op. 16/18.] * ''Sonate e Motetti.'' Musica Antiqua Praha; Pavel Klikar. Supraphon 3185-2 931. [Op. 8 Sonatas: ''La Rossetta'' Op. 8/5, ''La Squarzona'' Op. 8/9, ''La Cremona'' Op. 8/10, ''La Marinona'' Op. 8/12; ''

'' Op. 11: Sonata prima Op. 11/1; ''Harmonia d'Affetti Devoti'', Op. 3: ''Hodie colletantur'' Op. 3/1, ''Humili voce'' Op. 3/6, ''Motetti Sacri'', Op. 17: ''O dilectissime Jesu'' Op. 17/1, ''O vos qui inter'' Op. 17/2, ''Non susurrate'' Op. 17/9, ''Omnes gentes'' Op. 17/4.] * ''Testamentum. Missa Laurentana quinque vocibus.'
Oficina Musicum

Dynamic
CDS710. [The unpublished ''Missa quinque vocibus''; Op. 2: Sonatas ''La Spilimberga'' Op. 2/2, ''La Querina'' Op. 2/14; Op. 3: ''Hodie Collaetantur'' Op. 3/1; Opus 7: ''Alma Redemptoris Mater'' Op. 7/14; Opus 10: ''Congratulamini Filiae Syon'' Op. 10/2] * ''Trio Sonatas 1655.'' Parnassi Musici. cpo 777 030-2. 2004. [The whole of Opus 2] * ''Venice Before Vivaldi – A Portrait of Giovanni Legrenzi.'' El Mundo; Richard Savino. Koch International KIC 7446. [Opus 2: Sonatas ''La Foscari'' Op. 2/8, ''La Zabarella'' Op. 2/10, ''La Donata'' Op. 2/7 ''La Cornara'' Op.2/1, ''La Spilimberga'' Op. 2/2; Opus 4: ''La Benaglia'' Op. 4/3 ''La Forni'' Op. 4/11; ''

'' Op. 11: Op. 11/2, Op. 11/6, Op. 11/7; ''Motetti Sacri'', Op. 17: ''O dilectissime Jesu'' Op. 17/1, ''O mirandum mysterium'' Op. 17/7] * ''Vesperae, Op. 1.'' Cori Spezzati, dir. Olivier Opdebeeck. Pierre Verany. [The whole of the Vespers music from Op. 1; Op. 4 Sonatas: ''La Pezzoli'' Op. 4/6; Op. 3 Motets: ''Obstupescite'' Op. 3/13.] * ''Oratorio Il Sedecia ''
Oficina Musicum
direttore Riccardo Favero Oratorio in 2 Parti
Dynamic
CDS711, giugno 2012 Approximately 40 other recordings are available featuring one or more Legrenzi works. By far the most frequently recorded item is ''Che fiero costume'' from the opera ''

'' (in a 1680 revival, having originally appeared in 1678 in ''Echi di Riverenza'' Op. 14), made famous by opera singers including bass

Ezio Pinza Ezio Fortunato Pinza (May 18, 1892May 9, 1957) was an Italian opera singer. Pinza possessed a rich, smooth and sonorous voice, with a flexibility unusual for a bass. He spent 22 seasons at New York's Metropolitan Opera, appearing in more than 750 ...

and tenor

Luciano Pavarotti Luciano Pavarotti (, , ; 12 October 19356 September 2007) was an Italian operatic tenor who during the late part of his career crossed over into popular music, eventually becoming one of the most acclaimed tenors of all time. He made numerou ...

. Sonatas from all of the four volumes in this form are generously represented, with a complete recording of Op. 2 (1655) and most sonatas from the other volumes also available. The sonata for 4 violins from ''La Cetra'', Op. 11/13, and the two unusual sonatas for 4 viola gamba, Op. 11/17 and Op. 11/18, appear on a number of recordings in various transpositions. Most other genres remain under-represented, notably including the surviving operas.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Legrenzi, Giovanni 1626 births 1690 deaths People from Clusone Italian male classical composers Italian classical organists Male classical organists Italian Baroque composers Cathedral organists 17th-century Italian composers 17th-century male musicians