Giovanni Paolo Colonna: master of San Petronio in Bologna

Life

Trained in the heart of the Baroque, his mature career took place in the Late Baroque phase, a transitional era that saw the conclusion of the seventeenth-century style and the emergence of the first rationalist ferments that would lead to the birth of Arcadia.

Born in Bologna in 1637, he studied under Agostino Filippuzzi and in Rome with Antonio Maria Abbatini, Orazio Benevoli, and Giacomo Carissimi. Returning to his city, in 1659 he was appointed second organist of the Basilica of San Petronio and in 1674 chapel master, a position he held until his death. He refused the offer from Innocent XII to lead the chapel of St. Peter's in Rome, preferring to remain in his hometown.

He was highly regarded by his contemporaries: Leopold I of Habsburg and Francesco II d’Este held him in high esteem, while theorist Angelo Berardi defined him as the greatest living composer. His pupils included the Bononcini brothers. His music spread widely, reaching European libraries and chapels.

He died in Bologna in 1695, leaving behind a heritage of works that solidified the reputation of the Bolognese school.

Works

Operas: Le contese di Pallade e Venere (Bologna, 1666), L’alloro trionfato (Bologna, 1672), Olocausto d’encomi (Bologna, 1672), Le stelle combattute dagli elementi (Ferrara, 1676), Pelope e Ippodamia (Bologna, 1678), and Amilcare di Cipro (Bologna, 1692).

Oratorios: Il trionfo della fede (Bologna, 1672), La morte di sant’Antonio da Padova (Bologna, 1676), Il Sansone (Bologna, 1677), Santa Teodora (Bologna, 1678), Il transito di san Giuseppe (Bologna, 1678), Salomone amante (Bologna, 1679), San Basilio (Bologna, 1679), Absalone (Modena, 1684), Il Mosè (Modena, 1686), La caduta di Gierusalemme (Modena, 1688), and Giuliano apostata (Modena, 1694).

Sacred compositions: over a hundred motets and masses, preserved in Bologna, Modena, London, Oxford, and Vienna. Modern recordings include Il Transito di San Giuseppe (2004) and Triumphate Fideles (2015).