Giovanni Legrenzi

Giovanni Legrenzi was an Italian composer and organist born in August 1626 in Clusone, near Bergamo, in the Republic of Venice. He became one of the central figures in the development of the Baroque style in northern Italy. His early musical training came from his father, Giovanni Maria Legrenzi, a violinist and occasional composer, and his mother was Angela Rizzi. Legrenzi grew up in a musical household and had two brothers and two sisters; his brother Marco, an able musician who performed with the family in the 1660s, died young and was not mentioned in Legrenzi’s will.

From 1639 to 1643, Legrenzi studied at the Marian Academy in Bergamo under Giovanni Battista Crivelli. On 30 August 1645 he was appointed organist at the church of Santa Maria Maggiore in Bergamo, where he also became acquainted with Maurizio Cazzati. In 1651 he was ordained a priest and later elected chaplain of the church choir. In 1653 he was given the title of First Organist. Although he was dismissed from his post in 1654 for unknown reasons, later associated with a minor gambling scandal, he was reinstated in February 1655. He resigned from the position toward the end of 1655.

During the early 1650s Legrenzi published his first collections of music, which already demonstrated his growing significance as a composer. These included sacred vocal works such as Concerti per uso di chiesa (Opus I) and Harmonia di affetti devoti (Opus III), as well as instrumental collections such as Sonate a due e tre (Opus II) and Sonate da chiesa, da camera, correnti, balletti, alemane e sarabande a tre (Opus IV). Many of these works later went into second editions, providing him with additional income.

At the end of 1656 Legrenzi became maestro di cappella at the Academy of the Holy Spirit in Ferrara, a lay brotherhood with a strong musical tradition that served the local aristocracy. Several of his later collections were dedicated to influential figures in Ferrara, reflecting his strong connection to the cultural life of the city. His Opus V, VII, and VIII also show ties to Ferrara’s noble families. During his years in Ferrara he made his debut as an opera composer. His first opera, Nino il giusto, premiered in 1662 at the Teatro San Stefano, followed by Achille in Sciro in 1663 and Zenobia e Radamisto in 1665, both set to libretti by Ippolito Bentivoglio.

Despite recommendations from powerful patrons such as Carlo II Gonzaga of Mantua, Legrenzi was unable to secure certain prestigious positions, including the post of vice-maestro at the imperial chapel in Vienna in 1665. He also declined offers from the court of Louis XIV and from Santa Maria Maggiore in Bergamo due to health issues. Little documentation survives regarding his activities between 1665 and 1670, though he continued to publish music and was not in financial difficulty thanks to income from land in Clusone and from his publications. During these years he also produced a large collection for double choir.

In 1670 Legrenzi settled permanently in Venice, where he became a teacher and later maestro di cappella at the Ospedaletto, an institution for the poor. He taught several musicians who later became prominent, including Michelangelo Gasparini, Antonio Lotti, Antonino Biffi, Giovanni Sebenico, Tommaso Giovanni Albinoni, and Giovanni Varischino. From 1671 he also served as maestro for the Oratorians at Santa Maria della Fava, composing several oratorios for their gatherings.

In 1676 he was a finalist for the position of maestro at San Marco but lost by a single vote to Natale Monferrato. Later that year he became maestro di coro at the Ospedale dei Mendicanti, remaining until 1682, when he became vice-maestro at San Marco. By the early 1680s he was, together with Carlo Pallavicino, one of the leading opera composers of his day, receiving numerous commissions and producing several highly successful works such as La divisione del mondo, I due cesari, Il Giustino, and Publio Elio Pertinace.

After intermittent collaboration with the chapel of San Marco, Legrenzi was appointed maestro di cappella there on 23 April 1685, a position he held until his death. His final years were marked by declining health, likely caused by kidney stones, and from 1687 many duties were taken over by his vice-maestro, Gian Domenico Partenio. He died in Venice on 27 May 1690 and was buried in the Oratory of Santa Maria della Fava. His great-nephew Giovanni Varischino inherited his manuscripts and published several works posthumously.

Legrenzi’s body of work includes about twenty operas, eight oratorios, and numerous sacred and chamber compositions. He was especially admired for his instrumental sonatas and dramatic liturgical music, and many pieces survive only in manuscript. His themes were later used by Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frideric Handel, and renewed modern interest has led to revivals of operas such as La divisione del mondo and Il Giustino. As scores and editions continue to appear, his importance in the development of the late Baroque style has become increasingly recognized.

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