Giovanni Giorgi (composer)
Encyclopedia
Giovanni Giorgi (Latin: Joannis de Georgiis) was a priest and an Italian composer. His style of polychoral church compositions are influenced by earlier Roman School
composers such as Orazio Benevoli
, but also incorporate later Roman Baroque
features and (after about 1758) some elements of early Classical
style.
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, Rome, in succession to Giuseppe Ottavio Pitoni
. Many of Giorgi's early compositions were written during his time in Rome.
By January 1725 he was in Lisbon
where he took up the post of court mestre de capela. He died in Lisbon in 1762.
, but in Giorgi's case around 600 compositions have been preserved both in the Lateran archives in Rome and at Lisbon Cathedral
. Most are vocal works and many are for liturgal use. Someparticularly the later worksincorprorate concerted instrumental parts.
His extant works include:
Roman School
In music history, the Roman School was a group of composers of predominantly church music, in Rome, during the 16th and 17th centuries, therefore spanning the late Renaissance and early Baroque eras. The term also refers to the music they produced...
composers such as Orazio Benevoli
Orazio Benevoli
Orazio Benevoli or Benevolo , was an Italian composer of large scaled polychoral sacred choral works; one work featured 48 vocal and instrumental lines....
, but also incorporate later Roman Baroque
Baroque music
Baroque music describes a style of Western Classical music approximately extending from 1600 to 1760. This era follows the Renaissance and was followed in turn by the Classical era...
features and (after about 1758) some elements of early Classical
Classical period (music)
The dates of the Classical Period in Western music are generally accepted as being between about 1750 and 1830. However, the term classical music is used colloquially to describe a variety of Western musical styles from the ninth century to the present, and especially from the sixteenth or...
style.
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Life
Giorgi is reputed to have originated from Venice, but few details of his life are known. In 1719 he was appointed maestro di cappella at the papal Basilica of St. John LateranBasilica of St. John Lateran
The Papal Archbasilica of St. John Lateran , commonly known as St. John Lateran's Archbasilica and St. John Lateran's Basilica, is the cathedral of the Diocese of Rome and the official ecclesiastical seat of the Bishop of Rome, who is the Pope...
, Rome, in succession to Giuseppe Ottavio Pitoni
Giuseppe Ottavio Pitoni
Giuseppe Ottavio Pitoni was an organist and composer born in Rieti, Perugia, Italy. He became one of the leading musicians in Rome during the late Baroque era, the first half of the 18th century.-Life:...
. Many of Giorgi's early compositions were written during his time in Rome.
By January 1725 he was in Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
where he took up the post of court mestre de capela. He died in Lisbon in 1762.
Works
Many Portuguese records were lost in the 1755 Lisbon earthquake1755 Lisbon earthquake
The 1755 Lisbon earthquake, also known as the Great Lisbon Earthquake, was a megathrust earthquake that took place on Saturday 1 November 1755, at around 9:40 in the morning. The earthquake was followed by fires and a tsunami, which almost totally destroyed Lisbon in the Kingdom of Portugal, and...
, but in Giorgi's case around 600 compositions have been preserved both in the Lateran archives in Rome and at Lisbon Cathedral
Lisbon Cathedral
The Patriarchal Cathedral of St. Mary Major is a Roman Catholic parish church located in Lisbon, Portugal. The oldest church in the city is the see of the Archdiocese of Lisbon. Since the beginning of the construction of the cathedral, in the year 1147, the building has been modified several...
. Most are vocal works and many are for liturgal use. Someparticularly the later worksincorprorate concerted instrumental parts.
His extant works include:
- 162 motetMotetIn classical music, motet is a word that is applied to a number of highly varied choral musical compositions.-Etymology:The name comes either from the Latin movere, or a Latinized version of Old French mot, "word" or "verbal utterance." The Medieval Latin for "motet" is motectum, and the Italian...
s, some for 2 to 4 voices; also some for 8 or 16 voices - 33 mass settingsMass (music)The Mass, a form of sacred musical composition, is a choral composition that sets the invariable portions of the Eucharistic liturgy to music...
for 2, 4, 8 and 16 voices; some with instrumental parts - 145 gradualGradualThe Gradual is a chant or hymn in the liturgical celebration of the Eucharist for many Christian denominations. In the Tridentine Mass it was and is sung after the reading or chanting of the Epistle and before the Alleluia, or, during penitential seasons, before the Tract. In the Mass of Paul VI...
settings for 2, 4 and 8 voices; some with instruments - 137 antiphonAntiphonAn antiphon in Christian music and ritual, is a "responsory" by a choir or congregation, usually in Gregorian chant, to a psalm or other text in a religious service or musical work....
s for 2 to 4 voices; some with instrumental parts - 162 psalms for 4, 5 and 8 voices; some with organ parts
- 152 offertoryOffertoryThe Offertory is the portion of a Eucharistic service when bread and wine are brought to the altar. The offertory exists in many liturgical Christian denominations, though the Eucharistic theology varies among celebrations conducted by these denominations....
settings for 8 voices; one with instruments - 49 hymns for 4 voices
- 20 responsoriesResponsory-Definition:The most general of a responsory is any psalm, canticle, or other sacred musical work sung responsorially, that is, with a cantor or small group singing verses while the whole choir or congregation respond with a refrain. However, this article focuses on those chants of the western...
for 4 or 8 voices - Lamentations for 8 voices
- 5 cantatas for solo soprano and organ
- MadrigalMadrigal-Music:* Madrigal , a European musical form of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries** Madrigal dinner, a form of dinner theater incorporating comedy, madrigals, and a feast...
s for 5 voices
Recordings
- Giovanni Giorgi: Ave Maria, Choeur de Chambre de Namur, and Cappella Mediterranea directed by Leonardo García-AlarcónLeonardo García-AlarcónLeonardo García-Alarcón is an Argentian conductor specializing in baroque music.He studied harpsichord and organ and was assistant to Gabriel Garrido for several years, before founding the ensemble Cappella Mediterranea, with whom he has performed at many festivals, particularly the Festival...
. Published June 2011 as Ricercar RIC 313.
-
- The CD features eight works by Giorgi: Ave Maria (a 4); a mass setting, Messa a due Cori tutti piena, for the Capella Reale in Lisbon; and the offertory settings Angelus Domini descendit de cælo (a 8); Improperium expectavit cor meum (a 4); Dextera Domini (a 4); Tui sunt caeli (a 8); Ascendit Deus in jubilatione (a 8); and In omnem terram (a 8; in five sections).
- Roma Triumphans, Studio de musique ancienne de MontréalStudio de musique ancienne de MontréalThe Studio de musique ancienne de Montréal is an early music vocal ensemble based in Montreal, Canada. Co-founded in 1974 by the organ and harpsichord players Christopher Jackson, Réjean Poirier, and Hélène Dugal, the group became an important part of the Early Music Revival in Montreal during the...
directed by Christopher Jackson. Published 2008 as Atma SACD 22507.
- Roma Triumphans, Studio de musique ancienne de Montréal
- Includes three settings by Giorgi: Offertory Terra Tremuit and motets Haec Dies and Veni Sancte Spiritus. (Other pieces on this CD are by much earlier composers MarenzioLuca MarenzioLuca Marenzio was an Italian composer and singer of the late Renaissance. He was one of the most renowned composers of madrigals, and wrote some of the most famous examples of the form in its late stage of development, prior to its early Baroque transformation by Monteverdi...
, VictoriaTomás Luis de VictoriaTomás Luis de Victoria, sometimes Italianised as da Vittoria , was the most famous composer of the 16th century in Spain, and one of the most important composers of the Counter-Reformation, along with Giovanni da Palestrina and Orlando di Lasso. Victoria was not only a composer, but also an...
, PalestrinaGiovanni Pierluigi da PalestrinaGiovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina was an Italian Renaissance composer of sacred music and the best-known 16th-century representative of the Roman School of musical composition...
, Orazio Benevoli and UgoliniVincenzo UgoliniVincenzo Ugolini was an Italian composer of the early Baroque eras and of the Roman School.-Life:Born in Perugia, he was first a puer chori at San Luigi dei Francesi in Rome under Giovanni Bernardino Nanino; then he was engaged as a contralto until July 1594 and as a bass from the beginning of...
).
- The CD features eight works by Giorgi: Ave Maria (a 4); a mass setting, Messa a due Cori tutti piena, for the Capella Reale in Lisbon; and the offertory settings Angelus Domini descendit de cælo (a 8); Improperium expectavit cor meum (a 4); Dextera Domini (a 4); Tui sunt caeli (a 8); Ascendit Deus in jubilatione (a 8); and In omnem terram (a 8; in five sections).