Adriano Banchieri facts for kids

Adriano Banchieri.

Adriano Banchieri (born September 3, 1568, in Bologna – died 1634 in Bologna) was an Italian composer, music expert, organ player, and poet. He lived during the late Renaissance and early Baroque music periods. He also started a music school called the Accademia dei Floridi in Bologna.

Life Story of Adriano Banchieri

Adriano Banchieri was born and died in Bologna, which was part of the Papal States at the time. In 1587, he became a Benedictine monk. He took his vows in 1590 and changed his name from Tommaso to Adriano. One of his teachers at the monastery was Gioseffo Guami, who greatly influenced his musical style.

Banchieri was very interested in making madrigals more like plays. Madrigals were songs for several voices, usually without instruments. He helped create a style called "madrigal comedy." These were collections of madrigals that, when sung one after another, told a story. They were not acted out on a stage.

People used to think madrigal comedies were early forms of opera. However, most music experts now see them as their own unique type of musical storytelling. This was part of a general interest in Italy to create new musical drama. Banchieri also wrote many canzonettas. These were lighter, popular songs that were an alternative to madrigals in the late 1500s.

Banchieri did not like the new musical style called monody, which focused on a single singing voice with simple accompaniment. He wrote about his strong opinions on this in his book Moderna Practica Musicale (1613). However, he also helped explain how to properly use figured bass, a type of musical shorthand used in monody.

Starting in 1605, Banchieri published a series of organ pieces called l'Organo suonarino. These works were reprinted many times. His last published work was Trattenimenti da villa in 1630. He wrote five madrigal comedies between 1598 and 1628. These included stories with characters and plots, such as La pazzia senile (1598) and La saviezza giovenile.

Adriano Banchieri's Musical Works

Adriano Banchieri wrote many different types of music. His works include both secular (non-religious) and sacred (religious) vocal pieces.

Secular Vocal Works

These are songs not written for church services.

• He wrote his first book of madrigals for four voices in 1597.
• He published six books of canzonettas for three voices. These often had fun or interesting titles, like Hora prima di ricreazione (First Hour of Recreation) and La pazzia senile (Old Age Folly).
• He also wrote several books of madrigals for five voices, including Il Zabaione musicale (1604) and Barca di Venetia per Padova (Boat from Venice to Padua, 1605).
• Other works include Festino nella sera del giovedì grasso avanti cena (Party on Thursday Night Before Dinner, 1608) and Vivezze di Flora e Primavera (Liveliness of Flora and Spring, 1622).

Sacred Vocal Works

These are songs written for religious purposes.

• Vezzo di perle musicali (Necklace of Musical Pearls) for two voices was published in 1610.
• He also published Nuovi pensieri ecclesiastici (New Church Thoughts) in 1613.

See also

In Spanish: Adriano Banchieri para niños