Giovanni Bernardino Nanino
Encyclopedia
Giovanni Bernardino Nanino (c. 1560 – 1623) was an Italian composer
, teacher and singing master of the late Renaissance
and early Baroque
eras, and a leading member of the Roman School
of composers. He was the younger brother of the somewhat more influential composer Giovanni Maria Nanino
.
, he was first a boy soprano
in the local cathedral, just like his brother. His first post may have been as maestro di cappella at Santa Maria dei Monti in 1588, and he is known to have acquired the post of maestro di cappella at San Luigi dei Francesi
in Rome
in 1591, after his brother left to join the papal choir
. The two brothers, however, were living together at this time in a house owned by the church, and spent a good deal of their time teaching choirboys. Following the appointment at San Luigi dei Francesi, he was associated with Cardinal Montalto, a wealthy and influential patron of art and music, and may have served as teacher, composer, and archivist for the Cardinal at his church, San Lorenzo in Damaso
.
, preferring instead to incorporate the technique and expressive style of the earlier Roman composers such as Palestrina
. After about 1610 he adopted the technique of basso continuo in his sacred works — hardly a conservative tendency — and, significantly, something his brother never did. Much of his earlier music is secular (such as madrigal
s), but he published several books of motet
s after 1610, after his brother's death. It is tempting to speculate that when he wrote music in the same format as his brother, he chose opposite stylistic means, and after his brother's death he quickly adopted the progressive style of the time, using it to write music in the same forms which his brother had used more conservatively.
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, teacher and singing master of the late Renaissance
Renaissance music
Renaissance music is European music written during the Renaissance. Defining the beginning of the musical era is difficult, given that its defining characteristics were adopted only gradually; musicologists have placed its beginnings from as early as 1300 to as late as the 1470s.Literally meaning...
and early Baroque
Baroque music
Baroque music describes a style of Western Classical music approximately extending from 1600 to 1760. This era follows the Renaissance and was followed in turn by the Classical era...
eras, and a leading member of the Roman School
Roman School
In music history, the Roman School was a group of composers of predominantly church music, in Rome, during the 16th and 17th centuries, therefore spanning the late Renaissance and early Baroque eras. The term also refers to the music they produced...
of composers. He was the younger brother of the somewhat more influential composer Giovanni Maria Nanino
Giovanni Maria Nanino
Giovanni Maria Nanino was an Italian composer and teacher of the late Renaissance. He was a member of the Roman School of composers, and was the most influential music teacher in Rome in the late 16th century...
.
Life
Born in ValleranoVallerano
Vallerano is a comune in the Province of Viterbo in the Italian region Latium, located about 60 km northwest of Rome and about 13 km southeast of Viterbo...
, he was first a boy soprano
Soprano
A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
in the local cathedral, just like his brother. His first post may have been as maestro di cappella at Santa Maria dei Monti in 1588, and he is known to have acquired the post of maestro di cappella at San Luigi dei Francesi
San Luigi dei Francesi
The Church of St. Louis of the French is a Roman Catholic minor basilica and titular church in Rome, not far from Piazza Navona. The church is dedicated to the Virgin Mary, to St. Denis the Areopagite and St. Louis IX, king of France...
in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
in 1591, after his brother left to join the papal choir
Choir
A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
. The two brothers, however, were living together at this time in a house owned by the church, and spent a good deal of their time teaching choirboys. Following the appointment at San Luigi dei Francesi, he was associated with Cardinal Montalto, a wealthy and influential patron of art and music, and may have served as teacher, composer, and archivist for the Cardinal at his church, San Lorenzo in Damaso
San Lorenzo in Damaso
San Lorenzo in Damaso is a basilica church in Rome, Italy, one of several dedicated to the Roman deacon and martyr Saint Lawrence...
.
Works
Nanino's music of the 1580s and 1590s is conservative in idiom, avoiding the experimental tendencies of his brother and MarenzioLuca Marenzio
Luca Marenzio was an Italian composer and singer of the late Renaissance. He was one of the most renowned composers of madrigals, and wrote some of the most famous examples of the form in its late stage of development, prior to its early Baroque transformation by Monteverdi...
, preferring instead to incorporate the technique and expressive style of the earlier Roman composers such as Palestrina
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina was an Italian Renaissance composer of sacred music and the best-known 16th-century representative of the Roman School of musical composition...
. After about 1610 he adopted the technique of basso continuo in his sacred works — hardly a conservative tendency — and, significantly, something his brother never did. Much of his earlier music is secular (such as madrigal
Madrigal (music)
A madrigal is a secular vocal music composition, usually a partsong, of the Renaissance and early Baroque eras. Traditionally, polyphonic madrigals are unaccompanied; the number of voices varies from two to eight, and most frequently from three to six....
s), but he published several books of motet
Motet
In classical music, motet is a word that is applied to a number of highly varied choral musical compositions.-Etymology:The name comes either from the Latin movere, or a Latinized version of Old French mot, "word" or "verbal utterance." The Medieval Latin for "motet" is motectum, and the Italian...
s after 1610, after his brother's death. It is tempting to speculate that when he wrote music in the same format as his brother, he chose opposite stylistic means, and after his brother's death he quickly adopted the progressive style of the time, using it to write music in the same forms which his brother had used more conservatively.