Natale Monferrato

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Natale Monferrato (* around 1603 in Venice ; † April 23, 1685 ibid) was an Italian organist, composer and conductor at St. Mark's Basilica .

Life

Natale Monferrato was a student of Giovanni Rovetta's organ playing and counterpoint theory. After the death of the organist Giovanni Pietro Berti (around 1590-1638), Monferrato lost to Francesco Cavalli in 1639 in the competition for the post of second organist. Monferrato was hired as a singer a short time later. After his teacher Rovetta held the position of conductor, Monferrato became vice conductor in 1647. It was only after Cavalli's death in 1676 that Monferrato became the first conductor at St. Mark's Basilica, a post he held until his death in 1685.

In addition to his activities at St. Mark's Basilica, Monferrato was choirmaster at the Ospedale dei Mendicanti and Kapellmeister at S. Giovanni Crisostomo , where he also had his residence. In partnership with Giuseppe Sala , he ran a music publishing house in which most of his compositions and those of many other composers were printed, and he also gave private harpsichord lessons.

Monferrato's main achievement was the reorganization of the music band at St. Mark's Basilica and the creation of stricter criteria for the entrance exams. As a result of this increase in quality, the various bands in Europe vied for the best Venetian singers. Monferrato's works correspond to the Venetian church music style at the beginning of the second half of the 17th century and are indebted to his predecessors Claudio Monteverdi and Giovanni Rovetta.

Works (selection)

  • Salmi concertati (5–8 voices, 2 violins and organ), Op. 1, 1647
  • Salmi (8 voices, (double choir) and organ) Op. 2, 1653
  • Motetti concertati… libro primo, (2-3 voices) Op. 3, 1655
  • Motetti… libro primo, (for one voice) Op. 3, 1655
  • Motetti… libro terzo, (for one voice) Op. 6, 1655
  • Motetti concertati… (2–3 voices) Op. 7, 1669
  • Salmi concertati… libro secondo (3–8 voices and instruments) Op. 8, 1671
  • Salmi brevi (8 voices (double choir) and organ) Op. 8, 1675, Bologna
  • Salmi concertati… (2 voices, 2 violins, viola, and organ) Op. 11, 1676
  • Missa ad usum Capellarum (for 4–5 voices and organ) Op. 13, 1677
  • Antiphonae (for one voice) Op. 17, 1678
  • Motetti… libro terzo, (2–3 voices) Op. 18, 1681
  • Misse e Magnificat, for 4 voices, Op. 19, 1681

literature

  • Alfred Baumgartner: Propylaea World of Music - The Composers - A lexicon in five volumes . Propylaen Verlag, Berlin 1989, ISBN 3-549-07830-7 , pp. 65/66, volume 4 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ François-Joseph Fétis: Biographie universelle des musiciens et bibliographie génèrale de la musique (1865)
personal data
SURNAME Monferrato, Natale
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Italian organist, composer and conductor at St. Mark's Basilica
DATE OF BIRTH around 1603
PLACE OF BIRTH Venice
DATE OF DEATH April 23, 1685
Place of death Venice