Stefano Felis
Encyclopedia
Stefano Felis, Latinized form of his last name 'Gatto', in English: 'cat' (ca. 1538-1603), was a Neapolitan Italian
composer of the Renaissance
, and the collaborator and probable teacher of composer Pomponio Nenna
. He composed madrigal
s, sacred motets
, and choral settings of the Roman Catholic Mass.
Felis was born in Putignano
, near Bari
, in the province of Puglia, Italy, where he became a Canon at St Nicola. He later became Maestro di Cappella of the cathedral in Naples.
He accompanied the papal nunizo, Antonio Puteo, on a journey to the court of Rudolph II in Prague during the 1580s. It was in Prague that his first book of masses was published in 1588 by the printer Jiri Nigrin, and Felis later remarked upon his stay in Prague in the preface to his Sixth Book of Madrigals, published in Venice, 1591.
As an educator, Felis seems to have had a profound effect on the succeeding generation of musicians from Bari. Giovan Battista Pace, Giovan Donato Vopa, and Pomponio Nenna
are counted among his pupils.
In Pomponio Nenna's first published collection of madrigals, "Il Primo Libro de madrigali à cinque voci", (1603?), there appear several madrigals of Felis'. As teacher, Felis might have allowed the young Nenna to add these works to his pupil's first publication, thereby ensuring its success.
Harmonia celeste ... nelle quale si contene una scielta di migliori madrigali che hoggidi si cantino, 1583
Musica Transalpina. Madrigales translated of foure, five, and sixe parts, chosen out of divers excellent Authors / Imprinted at London by Thomas East, the assigne of William Byrd, 1588
Di Stefano Felis ... Il Sesto Libro de Madrigali à Cinque voci, 1591
Libro nono di madrigali a cinque voci novamente composti, et dati in luce, 1602
Masses
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
composer of the Renaissance
Renaissance music
Renaissance music is European music written during the Renaissance. Defining the beginning of the musical era is difficult, given that its defining characteristics were adopted only gradually; musicologists have placed its beginnings from as early as 1300 to as late as the 1470s.Literally meaning...
, and the collaborator and probable teacher of composer Pomponio Nenna
Pomponio Nenna
Pomponio Nenna was a Neapolitan Italian composer of the Renaissance. He is mainly remembered for his madrigals, which were influenced by Gesualdo, and for his polychoral sacred motets, posthumously published as Sacrae Hebdomadae Responsoria in 1622.- Life :Pomponio Nenna was born in Bari, in the...
. He composed madrigal
Madrigal (music)
A madrigal is a secular vocal music composition, usually a partsong, of the Renaissance and early Baroque eras. Traditionally, polyphonic madrigals are unaccompanied; the number of voices varies from two to eight, and most frequently from three to six....
s, sacred motets
Motet
In 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...
, and choral settings of the Roman Catholic Mass.
Felis was born in Putignano
Putignano
Putignano is a town and comune in the province of Bari, Puglia, Italy.-Economy:In the past the economy of the city was principally based on agriculture, but soon the population converted the rural village into an industrial center...
, near Bari
Bari
Bari is the capital city of the province of Bari and of the Apulia region, on the Adriatic Sea, in Italy. It is the second most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy after Naples, and is well known as a port and university city, as well as the city of Saint Nicholas...
, in the province of Puglia, Italy, where he became a Canon at St Nicola. He later became Maestro di Cappella of the cathedral in Naples.
He accompanied the papal nunizo, Antonio Puteo, on a journey to the court of Rudolph II in Prague during the 1580s. It was in Prague that his first book of masses was published in 1588 by the printer Jiri Nigrin, and Felis later remarked upon his stay in Prague in the preface to his Sixth Book of Madrigals, published in Venice, 1591.
As an educator, Felis seems to have had a profound effect on the succeeding generation of musicians from Bari. Giovan Battista Pace, Giovan Donato Vopa, and Pomponio Nenna
Pomponio Nenna
Pomponio Nenna was a Neapolitan Italian composer of the Renaissance. He is mainly remembered for his madrigals, which were influenced by Gesualdo, and for his polychoral sacred motets, posthumously published as Sacrae Hebdomadae Responsoria in 1622.- Life :Pomponio Nenna was born in Bari, in the...
are counted among his pupils.
In Pomponio Nenna's first published collection of madrigals, "Il Primo Libro de madrigali à cinque voci", (1603?), there appear several madrigals of Felis'. As teacher, Felis might have allowed the young Nenna to add these works to his pupil's first publication, thereby ensuring its success.
Works
MadrigalsHarmonia celeste ... nelle quale si contene una scielta di migliori madrigali che hoggidi si cantino, 1583
- No.35."Al vostro dolce azuro"
- No.43."Nova belta somma virtu"
Musica Transalpina. Madrigales translated of foure, five, and sixe parts, chosen out of divers excellent Authors / Imprinted at London by Thomas East, the assigne of William Byrd, 1588
- "No.28. Sleepe mine onely Jewell. (Sonno scendosti)"
- "No.29. Thou bring'st her home. (Tu la ritorni)"
Di Stefano Felis ... Il Sesto Libro de Madrigali à Cinque voci, 1591
- "Caro amoroso neo"
Libro nono di madrigali a cinque voci novamente composti, et dati in luce, 1602
- "Amarilli, ove sei"
Masses
Early Published Sources
- Il primo libro de madrigali a sei voci Novamente composto & dato in luce. / Venetia, Gardano, 1579 RISM A/I; F 0211.; RISM B/I; 1579-05. (Contains works by Felis, Ridolfo Romano, G.F. Violanta.)
- Il quarto libro de madrigali a cinque voci con alcuni à sei, & uno echo à otto nel fine, novamente composti, & dati in luce. / Venetia, Vincenzi & Amadino, 1585. RISM A/I; F 0212.; RISM B/I; 1585-23. (Contains works by Felis, G. de Macque, P. Nenna.)
- Di Stefano Felis ... Il Sesto Libro de Madrigali à Cinque voci, con alcuni a Sei, et vn dialogo à Sette nel fine,etc.Canto. (Alto.) (Tenore.) (Basso.) (Quinto.). / Venetia : Appresso l'Herede di G. Scotto. Ad istanzia de Scipione Rizzo, 1591. OCLC: 498809433 (This work also contains madrigals by F. di Monte, R. Rodio, S. Dentice and M. Affrem.)
- Libro nono di madrigali a cinque voci novamente composti, et dati in luce. / Venetia, Vincenti, 1602. RISM A/I; F 0214.; RISM B/I; 1602-05. (Contains works by Felis, G.B. Vannelli.)
- Harmonia celeste ... nelle quale si contene una scielta di migliori madrigali che hoggidi si cantino / Antwerp, 1583.
- Liber secundus motectorum quinis senis octonisque vocibus / Venetijs, Gardanum, 1585. RISM A/I; F 0206; RISM B/I; 1585-02 (Contains works by Felis, C. Gesualdo, R. Rocco)
- Mottettorum cum quinque vocibus, liber tertius / Venetiis, Scoti, 1591. RISM A/I; F 0208; RISM B/I; 1591-02 (Contains works by Felis, S. Dentice, P. de Monte)
- Liber quartus motectorum, quae quinis, senis, ac octonis, concinuntur vocibus nunc primum impressus / Venetiis, Vincentium, 1596. RISM A/I; F 0209; RISM B/I; 1596-04 (Contains works by S. Felis and G.B. Vanelli.)
- Musica Transalpina. Madrigales translated of foure, five, and sixe parts, chosen out of divers excellent Authors / Imprinted at London by Thomas East, the assigne of William Byrd, 1588. (Two works of Felis are here, with texts in English and Italian)
- Stephani Felis regalis ecclesiae S. Nicolai bariensis canonici liber quartus motectorum quae quinis, senis, ac octonis, concinuntur vocibus, nunc primum impressus. / Venetiis : Vincentium, 1596. RISM A/I; F 0209; RISM B/I; 1596-04 (Contains works by S. Felis and G.B. Vanelli.)
- Sacrarvm symphoniarvm continvatio diversorvm excellentissimorvm avthorvm quaternis, V. VI. VII. VIII. X. & XII. vocibus tàm vivis, quàm instrumentalibus accommodata. / Noribergae : Kaufmann, 1600. Edition: Octava vox. OCLC: 314296648 (Includes works by several others)
Manuscripts
- Landeskirchliches Archiv in Nürnberg. Manuscript. St. Egidien 53. Choirbook, 1582. (Includes masses by Stuberus, Stephano Felis Barensi, Orlandus, Philippus Schondorff, Phillipe de Monte, and Jachet de Mantua)
- California. San Marino. Huntington Library. MSS EL 25A (after 1602) (Contains one 5-part madrigal, "Amarilli ove sei")
External links
- Stefano Felis Worldcat - Felis, Stefano
- Harmonia celeste Two madrigals by Stefano Felis on keyboard