Page:Pratt - The history of music (1907).djvu/127

 thedral and ducal choirmaster, producing only sacred works (1539-67) in a conservative style. [He is seriously confused with Jachet de Berchem, as well as both of them with De Buus.] Jacob van Wert (d. 1596), also a foreigner, born in 1536, was a choirboy at Mantua and from 1566 choirmaster for 30 years, except for a short term at Novellara from 1568. Though he seems to have had strenuous difficulties with his co-workers, he was highly honored. He was a prolific madrigalist (11 vols. 1558-95), but left also many motets. Giovanni Giacomo Gastoldi (d. 1622) was in the ducal service from 1582, producing a large number of works, sacred and secular (from 1581), including some balletti (5-6-part dances) that became widely known. Other Mantuan musicians were Benedetto Pallavicino, Van Wert's successor in 1596 (11 vols. of madrigals, 1579-1612), Girolamo Belli (12 vols. 1583-1617), and Alessandro Striggio (d. 1587), born about 1535, a famous violist, from 1560 at Florence and from 1574 at Mantua. His works (from 1560 and finally published posthumously by his son) include several intermezzi in madrigal style (1565-85), which were connected with the Florentine innovations (see sec. 70).

At Brescia we note Costanzo Antegnati, born in 1557, who, like his father, was a celebrated organ-builder, also in 1584-1619 cathedral-organist, with masses and madrigals (1571-92) and a book on the organ (1608), with pieces of his own.

At Cremona the chief name is Marc' Antonio Ingegneri (d. 1592), born at Verona about 1545, a pupil of Ruffo at Verona, and from 1576 choirmaster at Cremona, with many noble works (1573-87). The excellence of his style appears from the fact that his Responsoria (1588) were long ascribed to Palestrina. Monteverdi was his pupil.

At Bergamo mention should be made of the Sicilian Pietro Vinci (d. 1584), cathedral-choirmaster from 1571 (10 vols. of madrigals, besides other works, from 1563).

At Ferrara, south of the Po, music began to flourish early in the Middle Ages under the patronage of the powerful dukes of the Este family. In the 13th century their court was the headquarters of the Italian troubadours, and later a centre for painting as well—an artistic eminence that lasted till the 18th century. Many of the later Netherlanders worked here, like Des Près and Isaac before 1500 and Brumel from 1505, besides Johannes Gallus [Jean le Cocq], who died before 1543 as ducal choirmaster, and Jachet de Berchem, from 1555 ducal organist (works, chiefly secular, 1546-61). Other choirmasters were Francesco Viola, at Modena from 1530 and at Ferrara from about 1558, who edited some of Willaert's works (1559), besides issuing madrigals of his own (from 1550); Alfonso della Viola, notable for his incidental music for several plays (from 1541), of which only the words remain; and Paolo Isnardi, with many masses, lamentations, psalms, etc., besides madrigals (1561-98).

At Modena the outstanding name is Orazio Vecchi (d. 1605), where, after holding church offices at Correggio, he became choirmaster in 1596. From 1580 he put forth a long series of beautiful madrigals and canzonetti, depicting varying moods, grave and gay, and in 1594 a notable madrigal-comedy, Amfiparnasso. Almost equally fine were his sacred works.