Giuseppe Baini

Giuseppe Abbate Baini ( born October 21, 1775 in Rome, † May 21, 1844 ) was an Italian music composer and church historian.

Life

Baini received his first musical education by his uncle Lorenzo Baini (1740-1814) and came through the intercession of the Seminario Romano. In addition to some other of Gregorian chant was the most important part of his training. Since Baini after his voice broke his " beautiful voice " maintained, he was accepted in 1795 as an alumnus in the choir of St. Peter's.

From 1802 his teacher was ( 1741-1816 ) in counterpoint Giuseppe Jannaconi. Soon spread Bainis reputation, so that he was already in 1804 appointed papal concert conductor and in 1810 received from Napoleon Bonaparte an invitation to join the imperial chapel in Paris. This and the subsequent appointment as Director General of church music throughout the French empire declined Baini and remained in Rome. There he was in 1814 appointed the first conductor of the papal chapel and held that post until his death.

1837 elected him the musical section of the Prussian Academy of Arts to their member.

Reception

As Bainis main work is considered to be Memorie storico - critiche about Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, the first comprehensive account of the life and works of Palestrina. Baini put great emphasis to integrate its predecessor as contemporaries.

The most important publication as a composer, is Bainis Miserere, which is not sufficient however Palestrina's shadow. This work has been since 1821 in the liturgy of Holy Week in the Sistine Chapel next to works by Gregorio Allegri same and Tommaso Bai (* 1650, † 1714) performed regularly. The composer Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy and Otto Nicolai classified Bainis Miserere as the weakest of the three pieces.

Works

• Karl von Winterfeld (ed.): Memorie storico della vita - critiche e delle opere di Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina. Leuckart, Leipzig 1871
• Miserere
• Psalms
• Measuring
• Hymns
• Motets
• Church concerts (4-12 votes)