Animuccia. Giovanni

ANIMUCCIA. GIOVANNI. Italian musical composer, was born at Florence in the last years of the 1 5th century. At the request of St Filippo Neri he composed a number of Laudi, or hymns of praise, to be sung after sermon time, which have given him an accidental prominence in musical history, since their performance in St Filippo's Oratory eventually gave rite (on the disruption of i6th century tcbooU of competition) to tboM early forms of " oratorio " that are not traceable to the Gregorianpolyphonic " Passions." St Filippo admired Animuccia to warmly that he declared be had teen the Mill of hi* friend fly upwards towards heaven. In 1555 Animuccia was appointed maestro di capella at St Peter's, an office which he held until hi* death in 1571. He was succeeded by Palestrina, who had been his friend and probably his pupil. The manuscript of many of Animuccia's compositions is still preserved in the Vatican Library. His chief published works were Madrigali e Uotetti a quatlro e cinque toci (Ven. 1548) and // primo Libra di Uitte (Rom. 1567). From the latter Padre Martini has taken two specimens for his Saggio di Contrapunto.

A mas* from the Primo Libra di Messe on the canto fermo of the hymn Conditor alme sidrrum is published in modern notation in the Antkologie des mattres religieux primilifs of the Chanteuri de Saint Gertait. It is solemn and noble in conception, and would be a great work but for a roughness which is more careless than archaic.