Loreto Vittori (5 September 1600 (baptized) – 23 April 1670) was an Italian

castrato A castrato (Italian, plural: ''castrati'') is a type of classical male singing voice equivalent to that of a soprano, mezzo-soprano, or contralto. The voice is produced by castration of the singer before puberty, or it occurs in one who, due to ...

and composer. From 1622 until his death, he was a mezzo-soprano singer in the

papal chapel The papal household or pontifical household (usually not capitalized in the media and other nonofficial use, ), called until 1968 the Papal Court (''Aula Pontificia''), consists of dignitaries who assist the pope in carrying out particular ceremoni ...

in Rome.

Life

Vittori was born in Spoleto and educated in Rome. He then worked as a singer in Loreto and

Spoleto Spoleto (, also , , ; la, Spoletum) is an ancient city in the Italian province of Perugia in east-central Umbria on a foothill of the Apennines. It is S. of Trevi, N. of Terni, SE of Perugia; SE of Florence; and N of Rome. History Spolet ...

. In 1618 Vittori was placed under the protection of the

Medici The House of Medici ( , ) was an Italian banking family and political dynasty that first began to gather prominence under Cosimo de' Medici, in the Republic of Florence during the first half of the 15th century. The family originated in the Muge ...

family. He moved to Rome in 1621, first in the service of Cardinal

Ludovico Ludovisi Ludovico Ludovisi (22 or 27 October 1595 – 18 November 1632) was an Italian Cardinal (Catholic Church), cardinal and statesman of the Roman Catholic Church. He was an art connoisseur who formed a famous collection of antiquities, housed at the ...

, nephew of Pope

Gregory XV Pope Gregory XV ( la, Gregorius XV; it, Gregorio XV; 9 January 15548 July 1623), born Alessandro Ludovisi, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 9 February 1621 to his death in July 1623. Biography Early life Al ...

, and in 1632 in the service of Cardinal

Antonio Barberini Antonio Barberini (5 August 1607 – 3 August 1671) was an Italian people, Italian Roman Catholic Church, Catholic Cardinal (Catholicism), cardinal, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Reims, Archbishop of Reims, military leader, patron of the arts an ...

, nephew of the future

Urban VIII Pope Urban VIII ( la, Urbanus VIII; it, Urbano VIII; baptised 5 April 1568 – 29 July 1644), born Maffeo Vincenzo Barberini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 6 August 1623 to his death in July 1644. As po ...

. He died in Rome, aged 69. Vittori sang at the premiere of ''Lo Sposalizio di Medoro et Angelica'' by

Jacopo Peri Jacopo Peri (20 August 156112 August 1633), known under the pseudonym Il Zazzerino, was an Italian composer and singer of the transitional period between the Renaissance and Baroque styles, and is often called the inventor of opera. He wrote the ...

and

Marco da Gagliano Marco da Gagliano (1 May 1582 – 25 February 1643) was an Italian composer of the early Baroque era. He was important in the early history of opera and the development of the solo and concerted madrigal. Life He was born in Florence and li ...

in 1619, possibly as Angelica. He was Saint Ursula in ''La Regina Sant'Orsola'' by

in 1624. Back in Rome, the man was Falsirena in ''

La Catena d'Adone ''La catena d'Adone'' (''The Chain of Adonis'') is the only surviving opera by the Italian composer Domenico Mazzocchi. It was commissioned by Cardinal Ippolito Aldobrandini and first performed at the Palazzo Conti, Rome on February 12, 1626. The ...

'' by

Domenico Mazzocchi Domenico Mazzocchi (baptised 1592 in Civita Castellana21 January 1665 in Veja) was an Italian Baroque composer of only vocal music, of the generation after Claudio Monteverdi. He was a learned Roman lawyer, studied music with Giovanni Maria Nanin ...

in 1626. In 1628, Vittori took an unknown role in ''

La Flora ''La Flora, o vero Il natal de' fiori'' (Flora, or The Birth of Flowers) is an opera in a prologue and five acts composed by Marco da Gagliano and Jacopo Peri to a libretto by Andrea Salvadori. It was first performed on 14 October 1628 at the Teatr ...

, ovvero Il natal de' fiori'' (''Flora, or The Birth of Flowers''), an opera composed by

and

to a libretto by

Andrea Salvadori Andrea Salvadori (1591 – buried 25 August 1634) was an Italian poet and librettist. He was born in Florence and educated at the Collegio Romano in Rome. From 1616 until his death in Florence at the age of 43, he was the principal court poet to the ...

. He also performed at the wedding festivities of Margherita de' Medici to Odoardo Farnese in Parma, probably as Galatea in the intermezzo ''Mercurio e Marte'' by

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 ...

. In 1637, Vittori sang in

Chi Soffre, Speri ''Chi soffre, speri'' (''Let him who Suffers Hope'') or ''L'Egisto'' is an opera in a prologue and three acts by the Italian composer Virgilio Mazzocchi, performed with an intermedio titled ''La fiera di Farfa'' with music by Marco Marazzoli. It ...

Marco Marazzoli Marco Marazzoli (1602? – 26 January 1662) was an Italian priest and Baroque music composer. Early life Born at Parma, Marazzoli received early training as a priest, and was ordained around 1625. He moved to Rome in 1626, and entered the s ...

and

Virgilio Mazzocchi Virgilio Mazzocchi (22 July 1597 bapt. – 3 October 1646) was an Italian baroque composer. Biography He was born in Veja, near Civita Castellana, where he was baptized, as the younger brother of the more famous composer and learned lawyer ...

, possibly as Virtu and Alvida. His final stage appearance was as Angelica in ''

Il palazzo incantato ''Il Palazzo incantato'' (''The Enchanted Palace'') or ''Il Palagio d’Atlante, overo La Guerriera Amante'' (''The Palace of Atlantes, or The Warrior Woman in Love''), or also ''Lealtà con valore'' (''Loyalty with Bravery'') is an opera in a pro ...

'' by

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 ...

with libretto by Cardinal Rospigliosi, the future

Clement IX Pope Clement IX ( la, Clemens IX; it, Clemente IX; 28 January 1600 – 9 December 1669), born Giulio Rospigliosi, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 20 June 1667 to his death in December 1669. Biography Ear ...

Bernardo Pasquini Bernardo Pasquini (Massa e Cozzile, 7 December 1637Rome, 21 November 1710) was an Italian composer of operas, oratorios, cantatas and keyboard music. A renowned virtuoso keyboard player in his day, he was one of the most important Italian compose ...

was among his pupils.

Works

*In 1639 he wrote a spectacular opera entitled ''La Galatea'', rediscovered and revived in 2005. ''La Galatea'' is peopled with multi-dimensional characters and contains moments of great dramatic intensity, the reason, perhaps, for the unusually warm praise it received from music historians in the early part of the twentieth century. *He composed the sacred drama ''Sant'Ignazio di Loyola'', which is lost; two sacred dramas entitled ''Santa Irene'' (1644) and ''La Pellegrina Costante'' (1647);''La Pellegrina Costante'' is based on ''Parthenia,'' a novel by

Jean-Pierre Camus Jean-Pierre Camus (November 3, 1584 – April 26, 1652) was a French bishop, preacher, and author of works of fiction and spirituality. Biography Jean-Pierre Camus was born in Paris in 1584, the son of Jean Camus, seigneur de Saint Bonnet, who ...

, translated into Italian by the Venetian M. Bisaccioni (1582-1663). *the play ''La Fiera di Palestrina''; a comedy ''Le Zittelle Cantarini,'' a collection of

monodies In music, monody refers to a solo vocal style distinguished by having a single melodic line and instrumental accompaniment. Although such music is found in various cultures throughout history, the term is specifically applied to Italian song of ...

and ''Dialoghi Sacri e Morali.'' *A

mock-heroic Mock-heroic, mock-epic or heroi-comic works are typically satires or parodies that mock common Classical stereotypes of heroes and heroic literature. Typically, mock-heroic works either put a fool in the role of the hero or exaggerate the heroic ...

poem, ''La Troja Rapita'', (1662). an autobiographical poem that contains important information on the environment of the Roman

Barberini The House of Barberini are a family of the Italian nobility that rose to prominence in 17th century Rome. Their influence peaked with the election of Cardinal Maffeo Barberini to the papal throne in 1623, as Pope Urban VIII. Their urban palace ...

in the days of Pope

Eugenius IV Pope Eugene IV ( la, Eugenius IV; it, Eugenio IV; 1383 – 23 February 1447), born Gabriele Condulmer, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 3 March 1431 to his death in February 1447. Condulmer was a Venetian, and ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vittori, Loreto Italian male classical composers Italian male singers Italian Baroque composers People from Spoleto Castrati 1600 births 1670 deaths 17th-century Italian composers 17th-century male musicians