Orazio Vecchi facts for kids
Orazio Vecchi was an Italian composer who lived during the late Renaissance period. He was born in Modena, Italy, on December 6, 1550. He is most famous for his musical plays called "madrigal comedies," especially one named L'Amfiparnaso. Orazio Vecchi passed away on February 19, 1605.
A Musician's Life
Orazio Vecchi was born in Modena, Italy. He studied music with Salvatore Essenga, a friar. Orazio also prepared to become a priest. He took his holy orders sometime before 1577.
By the late 1570s, Orazio knew many important composers. These included Claudio Merulo and Giovanni Gabrieli from the Venetian school. He even worked with them on a special song for a duke's wedding. During this time, he traveled with Count Baldassare Rangoni to places like Bergamo and Brescia.
Orazio became a maestro di cappella (music director) at the Salò cathedral. This was from 1581 to 1584. After that, he led the choir at the Reggio Emilia cathedral until 1586. In that year, he moved to Correggio. There, he became a canon, which is a type of priest. He wrote a lot of music while in Correggio. However, he felt far away from big music centers like Rome and Venice.
He later moved back to Modena. There, he became a mansionario, a priest who also managed the choir. Orazio sometimes struggled with money during this time. He wrote about these difficulties in his letters and even in some of his music.
In 1594, his famous "madrigal comedy," L'Amfiparnaso, was first performed in Modena. It was published in 1597 with beautiful pictures. That same year, he visited Venice. There, he published a collection of lighter songs called canzonette. He also published many other pieces of music that year. These were all the works he had created over the past 16 years.
In 1598, Duke Cesare d'Este hired Vecchi. He became the Duke's maestro di corte, or court music master. Orazio traveled with the Duke to Rome and Florence in 1600. While in Florence, he heard Jacopo Peri's opera Euridice. After his travels, he returned to Modena. He continued to work at the cathedral until he passed away in 1605.
Vecchi's Music
Orazio Vecchi was well-known for his madrigals. Madrigals are a type of song for several voices, usually without instruments. He was especially famous for putting these madrigals together into a new form. He called this a "madrigal comedy."
Madrigal comedies were fun, popular, and dramatic musical shows. They were popular in the late 1500s. Some people think they were an early form of opera.
Vecchi also published books of canzonette. These were lighter songs than madrigals. They were simpler and less serious than madrigals. He also wrote some serious madrigals. However, he did not write as many as other composers like Marenzio.
Orazio Vecchi also composed some sacred music, which is music for church. His sacred music shows the influence of the Venetian school. This means it often used polychoral writing. This is when different groups of singers sing at the same time. His music also used different rhythms, switching between duple and triple time.
See also
In Spanish: Orazio Vecchi para niños
