Francesco dalla Viola (died 1568) was a 16th-century choirmaster and composer.

Biography

Francesco was a singer under the direction of

Adrian Willaert Adrian Willaert ( – 7 December 1562) was a Flemish composer of High Renaissance music. Mainly active in Italy, he was the founder of the Venetian School. He was one of the most representative members of the generation of northern composers ...

between the years 1522 and 1526. Francesco was the choirmaster at Modena from about 1530. Around 1558 he became choirmaster and musician to Prince

Alfonso d'Este Alphons (Latinized ''Alphonsus'', ''Adelphonsus'', or ''Adefonsus'') is a male given name recorded from the 8th century (Alfonso I of Asturias, r. 739–757) in the Christian successor states of the Visigothic Kingdom in the Iberian Peninsula. I ...

at Ferrera, replacing

Cipriano de Rore Cipriano de Rore (occasionally Cypriano) (1515 or 1516 – between 11 and 20 September 1565) was a Franco-Flemish composer of the Renaissance, active in Italy. Not only a central representative of the generation of Franco-Flemish composers after ...

.Pratt, Waldo Selden. ''The History of Music''. New York: G. Schirmer, Inc., 1907. 121. While at Ferrera, he travelled with

Gioseffo Zarlino Gioseffo Zarlino (31 January or 22 March 1517 – 4 February 1590) was an Italian Music theory, music theorist and composer of the Renaissance music, Renaissance. He made a large contribution to the theory of counterpoint as well as to musical t ...

and

Claudio Merulo Claudio Merulo (; 8 April 1533 – 4 May 1604) was an Italian composer, publisher and organist of the late Renaissance period, most famous for his innovative keyboard music and his ensemble music composed in the Venetian polychoral style. He was ...

to visit

who was housebound. He died in 1568.

Compositions

Francesco Viola produced a set of his own madrigals in 1550. Later in 1559 Francesco edited some works by Willaert at the behest of d'Este. Viola's compositional style is closely related to that of Willaert's, particularly in relation to parallel major thirds over positions IV and V, where the juxtaposition of such is generally avoided. However, Viola's compositions are lighter in tone than Willaert's heavier madrigals.

References

Italian Renaissance composers Year of birth unknown 1568 deaths 16th-century Italian composers Italian male classical composers 16th-century classical composers {{Italy-composer-stub