Rocco Rodio (c. 1535 – 1607) was an

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

and

theorist A theory is a systematic and rational form of abstract thinking about a phenomenon, or the conclusions derived from such thinking. It involves contemplative and logical reasoning, often supported by processes such as observation, experimentation, ...

, best known for his sacred works and keyboard

ricercar A ricercar ( , ) or ricercare ( , ) is a type of late Renaissance and mostly early Baroque instrumental composition. The term ''ricercar'' derives from the Italian verb , which means "to search out; to seek"; many ricercars serve a preludial func ...

es.

Biography

He was born in

Bari Bari ( ; ; ; ) is the capital city of the Metropolitan City of Bari and of the Apulia Regions of Italy, region, on the Adriatic Sea in southern Italy. It is the first most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy. It is a port and ...

and apparently led a cosmopolitan life, at some point working at the Polish court, and then possibly settling in

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

. Popular among his colleagues, Rodio was a member of

Carlo Gesualdo Carlo Gesualdo da Venosa (between 8 March 1566 and 30 March 1566 – 8 September 1613) was an Italian nobleman and composer. Though both the Prince of Venosa and Count of Conza, he is better known for writing madrigals and pieces of sacred ...

's academy at Naples, organized a ''Camerata di Propaganda per l'Affinamento del Gusto Musicale'' together with other Neapolitan musicians, and also probably cultivated connections with Polish and

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

composers. Rodio's work, both in music and in music theory, was progressive for its time and shows a competent composer. His treatise ''Regole di musica'' circulated widely both in Italy and outside its borders. Rodio's ''Libro primo di ricercate'' (1575) is the earliest surviving keyboard music notated in score. It contains five

s and four fantasias, all marked with a highly individual harmonic language. This print, together with Antonio Valente's ''Intavolatura de cimbalo'', represents the earliest works of the so-called Neapolitan school, to which later important composers such as Ascanio Mayone and

Giovanni Maria Trabaci Giovanni Maria Trabaci (ca. 1575 – 31 December 1647) was an Italian composer and organist. He was a prolific composer, with some 300 surviving works preserved in more than 10 publications; he was especially important for his keyboard music. B ...

belonged.

List of works

Music

* ''Missarum decem liber primus'', masses for 4–6 voices (Rome, 1562) * ''Libro primo di ricercate'', keyboard works (Naples, 1575) * ''Il secondo libro di madrigali'', madrigals for 4 voices (Venice, 1587) * ''Duetti'' (1589), lost * ''Il primo libro di madrigali'', lost * canzonas, motets, and other pieces in manuscript copies

Writings

* ''Regole di musica di Rocco Rodio sotto brevissime risposte ad alcuni dubij propostigli da un cavaliero, intorno alle varie opinioni de contrapontisti con la dimostratione de tutti i canoni sopra il canto fermo'' (Naples, 1600)

References

* Apel, Willi. 1972. ''The History of Keyboard Music to 1700''. Translated by Hans Tischler. Indiana University Press. . Originally published as ''Geschichte der Orgel- und Klaviermusik bis 1700'' by Bärenreiter-Verlag, Kassel. {{DEFAULTSORT:Rodio, Rocco Composers for pipe organ Italian male classical composers Italian Renaissance composers Musicians from Bari Year of death unknown Year of birth uncertain