The Cappella Marciana is the modern name for the

choir A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...

and instrumentalists of

St Mark's Basilica The Patriarchal Cathedral Basilica of Saint Mark (), commonly known as St Mark's Basilica (; ), is the cathedral church of the Patriarchate of Venice; it became the episcopal seat of the Patriarch of Venice in 1807, replacing the earlier cath ...

, Venice, Italy.

Overview

The masters of the ''cappella ducale'' in the 16th and 17th centuries included many of the most notable composers of the

Italian baroque Italian Baroque (or ''Barocco'') is a stylistic period in Italian history and art that spanned from the late 16th century to the early 18th century. History The early 17th century marked a time of change for those of the Roman Catholic religion ...

. In addition to providing music at the Basilica, the choir and instrumentalists of the ''cappella'' performed important functions in the Venetian calendar of feasts. Many of the works of the maestri di cappella are preserved in illuminated choir books at the Archivio di Stato di Venezia (ASV), the Biblioteca del Civico Museo Correr and the Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana.

History

Maestri di cappella

File:Adrian Willaert.jpg, Adrian Willaert File:Claudio Monteverdi.jpg, Claudio Monteverdi File:Baldassare Galuppi Memorial.jpeg, Baldassare Galuppi File:DonLorenzoPerosi.jpg, Don Lorenzo Perosi File:Venedig Basilika.jpg, Front of the basilica The list of ''maestri'', musical directors, and organists includes:F. Caffi, ''Storia della musica sacra nella già Cappella ducale di San Marco in Venezia dal 1318 al 1797''. * Johannes de Quadris (1463-1491) *

Pietro de Fossis Pietro is an Italian masculine given name. Notable people with the name include: People * Pietro I Candiano (c. 842–887), briefly the 16th Doge of Venice * Pietro Tribuno (died 912), 17th Doge of Venice, from 887 to his death * Pietro II Can ...

(1491-1527) *

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 ...

(1527-1563) *

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 ...

(1563-1565) *

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 ...

(1565-1590) *

Baldassare Donato Baldassare Donato (also Donati) (1525-1530 – June 1603) was an Italian composer and singer of the Venetian school of the late Renaissance. He was ''maestro di cappella'' of the prestigious St. Mark's Basilica at the end of the 16th century ...

(1590-1605) *

Giovanni Croce Giovanni Croce (; also Ioanne a Cruce Clodiensis, Zuanne Chiozotto; 1557 – 15 May 1609) was an Italian composer of the late Renaissance music, Renaissance, of the Venetian School (music), Venetian School. He was particularly prominent as a madr ...

(1605-1609) *

Giulio Cesare Martinengo Giulio Cesare Martinengo (; – 10 July 1613) was an Italian composer and teacher of the late Renaissance and early Baroque Venetian School. He was the predecessor to Claudio Monteverdi at San Marco. He probably came from Verona, and was the ...

(1609-1613) *

Claudio Monteverdi Claudio Giovanni Antonio Monteverdi (baptized 15 May 1567 – 29 November 1643) was an Italian composer, choirmaster and string instrument, string player. A composer of both Secular music, secular and Church music, sacred music, and a pioneer ...

(1613-1644) *

Giovanni Rovetta Giovanni Rovetta (c. 1595/97–1668) was an Italian Baroque composer and ''maestro di capella'' of the Capella Marciana at St Mark's Basilica, Venice between Monteverdi and Cavalli. He may have been a choirboy at St. Mark's, where his father p ...

(1644-1668) *

Francesco Cavalli Francesco Cavalli (born Pietro Francesco Caletti-Bruni; 14 February 1602 – 14 January 1676) was a Venetian composer, organist and singer of the early Baroque period. He succeeded his teacher Claudio Monteverdi as the dominant and leading op ...

(1668-1676) *

Natale Monferrato Natale Monferrato (1603–1685) was an Italian baroque composer. He was a pupil of Giovanni Rovetta, then was a singer at St Mark's Basilica in Venice, and then with the aid of Francesco Cavalli vicemaestro, or ''maestro di coro'' (1647–76). On ...

(1676-1685) *

Giovanni Legrenzi Giovanni Legrenzi (baptized August 12, 1626 – May 27, 1690) was an Italian composer of opera, vocal and instrumental music, and organist, of the Baroque era. He was one of the most prominent composers in Venice in the late 17th century, and ext ...

(1685-1690) *

Giovanni Battista Volpe Giovanni Battista Volpe (–1691) was a Venetian composer for operas during the Baroque period. He was also known as Rovetta and Rovettino. Volpe was an organist at St Mark's Basilica, and succeeded Giovanni Legrenzi as ''maestro di capella'' ...

(1690-1692) * Gian Domenico Partenio (1692-1702) * Antonio Biffi (1702-1736) *

Antonio Lotti Antonio Lotti (5 January 1667 – 5 January 1740) was an Italian composer of the Baroque era. Biography Lotti was born in Venice, although his father Matteo was ''Kapellmeister'' at Hanover at the time. Oral tradition says that in 1682, Lotti be ...

(1736-1740) *

Antonio Pollarolo Antonio Giovanni Pollarolo (12 November 1676 — 30 May 1746) was an Italian composer of the Baroque music, Baroque period, keyboardist, and maestro di cappella at St Mark's Basilica in Venice. As a composer he is primarily remembered for his oper ...

(1740-1747) *

Giacomo Giuseppe Saratelli Giacomo Giuseppe Saratelli (1682-1762) was an Italian organist, composer and maestro di cappella. Life He was born and raised in Bologna, where he premiered his first work (an oratorio) in 1699 and was trained as an organist. He moved to Padua ...

(1747-1762) * Baldassarre Galuppi (1762-1785) *

Ferdinando Bertoni Ferdinando Gasparo Bertoni (15 August 1725 – 1 December 1813) was an Italian composer and organist. Early years He was born in Salò, Republic of Venice, and began his music studies in Brescia, not far from his birthplace. Around 1740 he went ...

(1785-1808) * Bonaventura Furlanetto (1808-1811) * Giovanni Agostino Perotti (1811-1855) * Antonio Buzzolla (1855-1871) *

Nicolò Coccon Nicolò Coccon (10 August 1826 – 4 August 1903) was an Italian composer, conductor, organist and teacher from Venice. Life He was born in Venice on 10 August 1826 and studied with Fabio Ermagora, a pupil of Bonaventura Furlanetto. In 1856 h ...

(1871-1894) *

Lorenzo Perosi Monsignor Lorenzo Perosi (21 December 1872 – 12 October 1956) was an Italian composer of sacred music and the only member of the Giovane Scuola who did not write opera. In the late 1890s, while he was still only in his twenties, Perosi was a ...

(1894-1898) * Pietro Magri (1898-1899) * Giulio Bas (1899-1900) * Delfino Thermignon (1900-1921) * Umberto Ravetta (1921-1926) * Matteo Tosi (1926-1938) * Gastone De Zuccoli (1938-1939) * Luigi Vio (1939-1954) * Alfredo Bravi (1954-1981) * Roberto Micconi (1981-2000) * Marco Gemmani since 2000

First Organists

* Zucchetto (1316-1336) * Francesco da Pesaro (1336-1369) * Giandomenico Dattolo (1369-1375) * Andrea da San Silvestro (1375-1379) * Joannino Tagiapiera (1379-1389) * Antonio de' Servi (1389-1397) * Filippo (1397-1406) * Zuanne (1406-1414) * Antonio Romano (1414-1419) * Bernardino (1419-1445) * Bernardo di Stefano Murer (1445-1459) * Bartolomeo di Batista de Vielmis (1459-1504) * Zuan Maria di Marino (1504-1507) *

Dionisio Memmo Dionisio, a variant of Dionysius, may refer to: People Given name * Dionisio Lazzari (1617–1689), Italian sculptor and architect * Dionisio Aguado y García (1784–1849), Spanish classical guitarist and composer * Papa Isio (1846–1911), Dion ...

(1507-1516) * Giovanni Armonio (1516-1552) *

Annibale Padovano Annibale Padovano (1527 – March 15, 1575) was an Italian composer and organist of the late Renaissance Venetian School. He was one of the earliest developers of the keyboard toccata. Life Padovano was born in Padua — hence his ...

(1552-1566) *

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 ...

(1566-1584) *

Andrea Gabrieli Andrea Gabrieli (1532/1533Bryant, Grove online – August 30, 1585) was an Italian composer and organist of the late Renaissance music, Renaissance. The uncle of the somewhat more famous Giovanni Gabrieli, he was the first internationally renowned ...

(1584-1585) *

Giovanni Gabrieli Giovanni Gabrieli (/1557 – 12 August 1612) was an Italian composer and organist. He was one of the most influential musicians of his time, and represents the culmination of the style of the Venetian School (music), Venetian School, at the t ...

(1585-1612) * Giampaolo Savi (1612-1619) * Giovanni Battista Grillo (1619-1621) *

Francesco Usper Francesco Usper (real name Spongia or Sponga) (1 November 1561 – 24 February 1641),New Grove: Usper (Sponga, Spongia, Sponza), Francesco, b. ca. 1560/61, Rovigno (now Rovinj), Istria, d. Feb. 24, 1641, Venice; Italian composer, organist, and prie ...

(1621-1623) *

Carlo Filago Carlo is a given name. It is an Italian form of Charles. It can refer to: *Carlo (name) *Monte Carlo *Carlingford, New South Wales, a suburb in north-west Sydney, New South Wales, Australia *A satirical song written by Dafydd Iwan about Prince Char ...

(1623-1644) * Massimiliano Neri (1644-1665) *

(1665-1668) * Giovanni Antonio Gianettini (1668-1669) *

Pietro Andrea Ziani Pietro Andrea Ziani (1616 in Venice 1684 in Naples) was an Italian organist and composer.Rappresentazione sacra: geistliches Musikdrama am Wiener Kaiserhof Richard Bletschacher - 1985 PIETRO ANDREA ZIANI Wurde am 21. 12. 1616 in Venedig getauft. ...

(1669-1670) *

(1678-1690) * Giacomo Filippo Spada (1690-1706) *

(1706-1736) *

(1736) *

Agostino Bonaventura Coletti Agostino may refer to: *Agostino (name) * ''Agostino'' (film), an Italian film directed by Mauro Bolognini * ''Agostino'' (novel), a short novel by Alberto Moravia *, an Italian coaster See also *Agostini (disambiguation) *D'Agostino (disambiguati ...

(1736-1752) *

(1752-1785) * Giovanni Battista Grazioli (1785-1821) * Carlo Faggi (1821-1856) *

(1856-1873) * Giuseppe Manfrini (1873-1875) * Andrea Girardi (1875-1895) * Oreste Ravanello (1895-1904) * Giovanni Pittau (1904-1956) * Carmelo Pavan (1956-1975) * Roberto Micconi (1975-2016) *

Pierpaolo Turetta Pierpaolo is a masculine Italian given name. Notable people with the name include: *Pierpaolo Barbieri (born 1987), Argentine businessman *Pierpaolo Bisoli (born 1966), Italian football player and manager *Pierpaolo Cristofori (born 1956), Italian ...

(2016-2021) * Alvise Mason since 2021

The modern cappella

A boys choir was added 1890, disbanded 1960. In 2002, the Solisti della Cappella Marciana were formed as a concert giving orchestra. The current director from 2000 is Marco Gemmani, and organist from 2021 is Alvise Mason.

References

External links

Cappella Marciana website (Italian)
{{authority control Culture in Venice Italian classical music groups Musical groups from Venice Italian choirs Boys' and men's choirs St Mark's Basilica