Life
His training took place at a fertile cultural crossroads where Arcadia, Rococo, and the Enlightenment intersected, while his long career led him to reach maturity in an era in which, alongside the Rococo style and Enlightenment thought, the new and more severe ideals of Neoclassicism emerged.
Born in Rome in 1715, Giovanni Battista Casali was admitted to the Accademia Filarmonica in Bologna in 1740 with the support of Padre Martini. From 1745 he worked as an assistant to Girolamo Chiti, chapel master of San Giovanni in Laterano, whom he succeeded in 1759, holding the post until his death in 1792.
Casali was a member of the Congregation of Musicians of Santa Cecilia, where he held several prominent positions. He composed masses, motets, oratorios, and other sacred works, distinguished by the elegance of his style and the balance between contrapuntal tradition and melodic sensitivity. His works were appreciated even outside Rome, contributing to the prestige of the Lateran chapel.
Aneddoto
Guardian of composers
In the Congregation of Santa Cecilia, Casali was elected several times as Guardian of the section of master composers, a sign of the esteem of his colleagues.Works
Casali's catalogue includes masses, motets, and oratorios. Notable titles include the oratorio Gioas re di Giuda and numerous polychoral masses performed in Rome. His works are preserved in manuscripts in Roman archives and represent a testament to the Roman sacred school of the eighteenth century.
Briciole di storia
Pubblico dominio (Commons)
