Life
His entire creative arc, from training to full maturity, unfolded consistently and exclusively within the Baroque period, of which he was one of the greatest masters, particularly in the genre of the oratorio.
Born in Marino in 1605, Giacomo Carissimi was among the most illustrious Roman composers of the seventeenth century. After early posts in Tivoli and Assisi, in 1629 he was appointed chapel master of the German-Hungarian College in Rome, where he remained until his death. Here he trained generations of European musicians, contributing to the spread of the Roman style throughout the continent.
Carissimi is remembered as the true founder of the Latin oratorio: works such as Jephte and Jonas showed the dramatic power of biblical narrative in music. He also wrote numerous chamber cantatas, motets, and madrigals, characterized by intense expressivity and refined writing.
He died in Rome in 1674, leaving a legacy that influenced authors such as Handel and Bach, who studied his scores carefully. His figure remains central to the development of vocal music in the 17th century.
Aneddoto
Master of Masters
Among Carissimi's pupils were musicians from all over Europe, so much so that his Roman school became an international model.Works
Among his masterpieces are the oratorios Jephte, Jonas, Baltazar, and Judicium Salomonis. He composed hundreds of chamber cantatas, motets, and madrigals, preserved in archives and libraries throughout Europe. His works, passed down in manuscript copies, were fundamental to the birth of the oratorio and the evolution of Baroque sacred music.
Briciole di storia
The Plague that Inspired Manzoni
While the Thirty Years' War raged in Europe, Northern Italy experienced horror in 1630 not so much from battles, but from their most lethal side effect. The descent of the Landsknecht mercenary soldiers, engaged in the Siege of Mantua, brought with it the plague bacillus. The epidemic spread with terrifying speed and violence, especially in Lombardy. In Milan, the population was more than halved, amid scenes of despair and madness. It was an apocalyptic catastrophe, which two centuries later Alessandro Manzoni would carve forever into the collective memory of Italians with the unforgettable pages of The Betrothed (I Promessi Sposi).
Pubblico dominio (Commons)
