Pietro Sanmartini

Pietro Sanmartini [Sammartini] (born September 18, 1636 in Florence , † December 31, 1700 ibid) was an Italian composer and organist of the Baroque.

Life

Pietro Sanmartini is not related to the two composers Giuseppe and Giovanni Battista Sammartini . He attended the music school of Giovanni Battista Comparini (around 1611–1659) in Florence and was ordained a priest. In addition to his hometown, he worked as a musician in Rome, Bologna and Arezzo. From 1659 he lived in Florence, where he received the position of vicemaestro di cappella at the Cathedral of Santa Maria Del Fiore in 1660 against the resistance of the conductor Niccolò Sapiti (around 1610–1678) . During this time he worked regularly as a lutenist and harpsichordist at the Medici court, and he also made a name for himself as a music teacher. From May 1686 Sanmartini became primo maestro di Capella to S. Maria Del Fiore, but was replaced as early as 1690. From 1692 he was led as a composing member of the Accademia Filarmonica Bologna based on his motet Beatus vir . Sanmartini was friends with the Veracini family ( Antonio Veracini and Francesco Maria Veracini ). Stefano Corti was one of his students.

Only a few of his works have survived, including some vocal and instrumental works. His four-part symphonias (sonatas) Op.2 are of lasting importance for the development of the multi-part Italian church sonata.

Works

• Partitura de motetti, a voce sola e bc Op.1 (Florence, 1685)
• 10 Symphony for 2 violins, viola da gamba and bc Op.2 (Florence, 1688)
• Beatus virgine, 5 voices and instruments (1692)
• Miserere;
• 50 psalm settings
• 7 operas, including La rivalità favorevole (X. Aragona), (Florence, 1668) only survived as a libretto
• Oratorio di S. Cecilia (Florence, 1692) only survived as a libretto
• Missa Veni sponsa Christi , 18 voices
• Missa bellica , 9 voices
• Aria da camera, (3 volumes)
• As well as individual masses, vespers, motets and instrumental works

source

• Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians , First Edition