Virgilio Mazzocchi

Virgilio Mazzocchi ( born July 22, 1597 Civita Castellana; † October 3, 1646 ibid ) was an Italian conductor and composer.

Life and work

Mazzocchi received, inter alia lessons by his brother Domenico Mazzocchi, who was also a composer. After his training, he was appointed Kapellmeister in 1624 at the Church of the Gesù in Rome. In the same position he was 1628/29 at San Giovanni in Laterano and then until his death at the Cappella Giulia. He also worked at the Collegium Romanum and at the Collegio del'Inglesi.

Mazzocchi is regarded as one of the first masters of Vielchörigkeit. It achieved great effects, by distributing several choirs in St. Peter's Basilica. In contrast to the older Venetian multiple choirs at St. Mark's style is characterized less antiphonal and polyphonic, but achieves its formidable sound effect in the room rather by a broadened homophonic.

Get however, it was only a fünfchöriges Magnificat and two - to four -part pieces, such as the " Sacred Flores " and Vesper Psalms. Mazzocchi also wrote numerous oratorios and cantatas, as well as several operas.

Among his pupils was, inter alia, Giovanni Andrea Bontempi.