Alessandro Striggio the Elder

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Alessandro Striggio, called the Elder (* around 1536 / 37 in Mantua ; † 29. February 1592 ) was an Italian composer , instrumentalist and diplomat of the Renaissance . He composed numerous madrigals and stage music . He combined both genres in the madrigal comedy that he helped to develop . He was the father of the librettist Alessandro Striggio .

Life

Striggio came from an aristocratic family. There is little evidence of his early life. He was probably staying in Florence , where he first made contact with the Medici around 1560 . In 1567 they sent him to England on a diplomatic mission . During the 1560s he composed numerous intermedi for weddings, visits and other festive occasions for the Medici. Although he continued to work for them as a composer, there are indications that he has left Florence. Striggio had connections with the Munich court and probably traveled there several times; a stay there in 1568 was probably the performance of his 40-part motet Ecce beatam lucem , which he had composed for a royal wedding celebration. He became friends with Vincenzo Galilei in the 1570s . It is not clear whether he was also a member of the Florentine Camerata .

During the 1580s he was in contact with the Estonians at their court in Ferrara , which was one of the centers of Italian musical development at the time. Striggio began here to compose in a madrigal style that was modern for this era. The works from this period have not survived, however. In 1586 he finally returned to Mantua, but remained in close contact with the Medici, for whom he continued to work at least until 1589.

plant

Striggio composed both sacred and secular music; Exclusively vocal music is preserved , partly with instrumental accompaniment. He published seven madrigal books and the madrigal comedy Il cicalamento delle donne al bucato .

The 40-part motet Ecce beatam lucem is considered one of his most impressive works and at the same time an important achievement of polyphonic Renaissance music . There are indications that he carried this work or the 40- or 60-part mass (around 1565) with him on a diplomatic trip to London in 1567, so that they inspired Thomas Tallis to write his 40-part Spem in alium . Unlike Tallis, Striggio gave precise instructions for doubling the vocal parts with instrumental parts. The performance of 1568 was accompanied by eight flutes , alto viols and trombones as well as harpsichord and bass lute . The motet is set for several choirs; it comprises four choirs of sixteen, ten, eight and six voices each, which are spatially separated from each other. An even larger work is the 40-part mass with a 60-part Agnus Dei . Believed to be lost for a long time, it was discovered by the musicologist Davitt Moroney and identified as a parody of Strigigio's Missa sopra Ecco sì beato giorno . The work was re-performed in 2007 at the Proms in the Royal Albert Hall under Moroney's direction.

Striggio's music was widespread in the late 16th century. It exerted its strong influence above all on England, where Alfonso Ferrabosco lived at that time and spread the Italian style.

literature

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Striggio, Alessandro the Elder
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Alessandro Striggio I
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Italian composer, instrumentalist and diplomat
DATE OF BIRTH around 1536
PLACE OF BIRTH Mantua
DATE OF DEATH February 29, 1592
Place of death Mantua