Ruggier Trofeo (c. 1550 - September 19, 1614) was an Italian composer and organist. His name is sometimes rendered as Ruggiero De Trofeis. Trofeo appears to have been a native of

Mantua Mantua ( ; ; Lombard language, Lombard and ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Italian region of Lombardy, and capital of the Province of Mantua, eponymous province. In 2016, Mantua was designated as the "Italian Capital of Culture". In 2 ...

; an anthology of music by natives of that city contains one madrigal by him, and in his 1589 book of ''

canzonette In music, a canzonetta (; pl. canzonette, canzonetti or canzonettas) is a popular Italian secular vocal composition that originated around 1560. Earlier versions were somewhat like a madrigal but lighter in style—but by the 18th century, especia ...

'' he is described as being a "Mantuan". He was most likely a pupil of Francesco Rovigo, as several of the older composer's works were at one point combined with his own for publication. He served as organist of the

Mantua Cathedral Mantua Cathedral () in Mantua, Lombardy, northern Italy, is a Roman Catholic cathedral dedicated to Saint Peter. It is the seat of the Bishop of Mantua. History An initial structure probably existed on the site in the Early Christian era, which ...

during the winter of 1576-77, acting as deputy for Annibale Coma. By 1587 he had become the organist of the

Basilica palatina di Santa Barbara The Basilica Palatina di Santa Barbara is the Royal chapel, Palatine Chapel of the House of Gonzaga in Mantua, Italy. History Built at the request of the Duke Guglielmo Gonzaga and built by the Mantuan Architect Giovan Battista Bertani, the m ...

, in the same city. In May of that year, Trofeo was seriously wounded in an encounter with his patron,

Guglielmo Gonzaga Guglielmo Gonzaga (24 April 1538 – 14 August 1587) was Duke of Mantua from 1550 to 1587, and of Montferrat from 1574 to 1587. He was the second son of Federico II Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua and Margaret Palaeologina of Montferrat. In 1574, Montfe ...

, over a woman. Musicologist David Mason Greene describes the incident thus:

In 1587, Duke Guglielmo found him in a back street chatting with a woman whose company he deemed unfitting for a church organist, and when Trofeo told him to mind his business, the duke punctured him to a considerable depth with his sword. What the duke was doing in a back street, history does not say, and he died three months later anyhow.

Other sources further record that the duke was in disguise at the time, which may account for Trofeo's reaction to his request; they also note that Gonzaga's death three months after the incident likely prevented the musician from suffering further punishment for his disobedience. In the 1590s Trofeo took a position as organist at

San Marco, Milan San Marco is a church in Milan, northern Italy. History According to tradition, the church was dedicated to St. Mark, patron of Venice, after the help given by that city in the war against Frederick Barbarossa in the 12th century. However, the ...

; sometime early in the next century he moved to

Turin Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...

, performing at

Turin Cathedral Turin Cathedral or Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist (, ) is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Turin Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of ...

while acting as ''

maestro di cappella ( , , ), from German (chapel) and (master), literally "master of the chapel choir", designates the leader of an ensemble of musicians. Originally used to refer to somebody in charge of music in a chapel, the term has evolved considerably in i ...

'' for the chamber chapel of the

House of Savoy The House of Savoy (, ) is a royal house (formally a dynasty) of Franco-Italian origin that was established in 1003 in the historical region of Savoy, which was originally part of the Kingdom of Burgundy and now lies mostly within southeastern F ...

. It was in that city that Trofeo died. His son Giovanni Cristoforo was an organist as well. Trofeo composed a handful of works for his instrument, and in 1589 published a book of ''canzonette''. He also produced music for instrumental ensemble. studied with Trofeo, likely just before he relocated to Turin; a handful of letters between the two survive, in which Borsieri apologizes for and explains his decision to abandon music for other pursuits.

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Trofeo, Ruggier 1550s births 1614 deaths Italian classical composers Italian male classical composers Italian classical organists Italian male classical organists Cathedral organists 16th-century Italian composers 16th-century classical composers 17th-century Italian composers 17th-century classical composers 17th-century Italian male musicians Musicians from Mantua