Life
Since the date of his birth is not known, it is not possible to define his training period; however, his artistic maturity is situated fully within the period of Mannerism, of which he was a fundamental theorist of performance practice.
Girolamo Dalla Casa, also known as Geronimo da Udine, was born in Udine and established himself as a musician in the second half of the sixteenth century. With his brothers Nicolò and Giovanni, he founded the first permanent ensemble of the Basilica of San Marco in Venice. In the 1580s he was appointed capo de’ concerti of the basilica, directing performances that included the music of Giovanni Gabrieli.
In addition to being a performer and conductor, he was the author of the treatise Il vero modo di diminuir, libri I et II (Venice, 1584), which is fundamental for the study of the practice of diminution and ornamentation in instrumental and vocal performances. The work collects examples of motets, madrigals, and chansons enriched by ornamental elaborations, constituting a precious source for Renaissance performance practice.
He died in Venice in 1601, leaving a legacy that places him among the protagonists of the Venetian school.
Aneddoto
Brothers in music
Girolamo established a permanent ensemble at San Marco with his brothers Nicolò and Giovanni, an exceptional feat for the time and a sign of the prestige recognized to them.Works
His best-known work is Il vero modo di diminuir (1584, Venice), a pedagogical treatise containing numerous musical examples. In addition to this, Dalla Casa was the author of motets, madrigals, and chansons performed in Venice in the second half of the 16th century, which are today essential sources for the knowledge of Venetian instrumental practice.