Alessandro Striggio facts for kids

Alessandro Striggio (born around 1536 or 1537, died in 1592) was a talented Italian composer, musician, and diplomat during the Renaissance period. He wrote many madrigals, which are a type of song for several voices. He also created dramatic music. By mixing madrigals with drama, he invented something new called "madrigal comedy." His son, also named Alessandro Striggio, later wrote the story for Monteverdi's famous opera Orfeo.

Life of a Renaissance Musician

Striggio was born in Mantua, Italy, into a noble family. We don't know much about his early life. But he likely moved to Florence when he was young.

Working for the Medici Family

In 1559, Striggio started working for Cosimo de' Medici, a powerful ruler in Florence. He became the main musician for the Medici court. In 1560, he visited Venice. There, he learned new musical styles. This inspired him to publish two books of madrigals.

In 1567, the Medici family sent him on an important trip to England. This was a "diplomatic mission," meaning he represented the Medici family's interests. Throughout the 1560s, Striggio wrote many intermedi for the Medici. These were musical shows performed between acts of plays. They were used for weddings, visits from important people, and other big events.

Travels and Friendships

In the 1570s, Striggio continued to work for the Medici. But he also started traveling more. He had connections to the court in Munich, Bavaria. He might have visited there several times. Perhaps this was for a performance of his amazing 40-voice song called Ecce beatam lucem. He wrote this piece for a royal wedding there.

During the 1570s, he became friends with Vincenzo Galilei. Vincenzo was the father of the famous astronomer, Galileo Galilei. It's not certain if Striggio was part of a group called the Florentine Camerata. This group of thinkers and musicians helped create early opera.

Later Years

In the 1580s, Striggio began working with the Este court in Ferrara. Ferrara was a very modern place for music in Italy at that time. Striggio wrote music in the new madrigal style he heard there. The Medici family likely asked him to write this music. Sadly, this music is now lost.

In 1586, Striggio moved back to Mantua. He stayed there for the rest of his life. But he still worked closely with the Medici family. He composed music for them as late as 1589. He passed away in 1592.

Striggio's Musical Creations

Striggio wrote both religious and non-religious music. All his surviving music is for voices. Sometimes, instruments played along with the singers. He published seven books of madrigals. He also created two versions of his most famous work. This was a madrigal comedy called Il cicalamento delle donne al bucato et la caccia... (which means "The gossip of the women at the laundry").

Madrigal Comedy

Striggio either invented the madrigal comedy or made it very popular. For a long time, people thought it was an early form of opera. But today, music experts see it as one of many ways music was used dramatically in the late 1500s. In a madrigal comedy, there is no acting. The fifteen individual madrigals in cicalamento tell a story. But they do it only through words and music. These musical shows were similar to other performances like intermedi at the time.

Impressive Choral Works

One of his most amazing pieces is the motet Ecce beatam lucem. A motet is a type of choral song. This work is for forty separate voices! It's considered one of the greatest achievements in polyphony from the Renaissance. Polyphony means having many independent voice parts singing at once. This motet might have been performed in Munich in 1568.

There's a story that Striggio might have had the music for this piece, or his 40/60-voice mass, with him on his trip to London in 1567. The English composer Thomas Tallis seems to have been inspired by it. Soon after, Tallis wrote his own 40-voice masterpiece, Spem in alium.

Unlike Tallis's piece, Striggio specifically said that instruments should play along with the voices. In the 1568 performance in Bavaria, the musicians included eight flutes, eight violas, eight trombones, a harpsichord, and a bass lute. Striggio's motet is a polychoral composition. This means it uses four separate choirs. These choirs have sixteen, ten, eight, and six voices each. They were likely placed in different parts of the performance space.

The Lost Mass

Striggio also wrote a mass for 40 parts. A mass is a musical setting of parts of a church service. This work was even bigger. It included a 60-voice section for the final Agnus Dei. For a long time, people thought this work was lost.

But recently, a music expert named Davitt Moroney found it. He identified it as a parody mass called Missa sopra Ecco sì beato giorno. A parody mass uses parts of another piece of music as its base. This mass had its first modern performance in London in 2007.

This mass was probably written around 1565 or 1566. Striggio likely carried it with him on a trip across Europe in 1567. It was performed in Mantua, Munich, and Paris. The first professional recording of the Mass was released in 2011.

Striggio's Influence

Striggio was very influential. His music was spread widely across Europe in the late 1500s. He had a big impact in England. This might have been because of his 1567 visit. It also might be linked to Alfonso Ferrabosco. Ferrabosco was an Italian madrigal composer who lived in England for most of his life. He helped make the Italian musical style popular there.

Recordings

• "La Caccia". "Il cicalamento delle donne al bucato" – on Banchieri Festino by R. Alessandrini 1995 (Opus111)
• "Il gioco di primiera", about the dangers of gambling – performed by Kings Singers on Madrigal History Tour documentary