Colonna, Giovanni Paolo

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Colonna, Giovanni Paolo

Colonna, Giovanni Paolo, Italian organist, organ builder, and composer; b. Bologna, June 16, 1637; d. there, Nov. 28, 1695. He studied organ with Filipucci in Bologna. After training in composition with Abbatini, Benevoli, and Carissimi in Rome, he served as organist in S. Apollinare there before pursuing his career in Bologna. In 1659 he was made second organist and in 1661 organist at S. Petronio, and then served as its maestro di cappella from 1674 until his death. He also was maestro di cappella at the church of the Madonna della Galliera (1673–88) and at S. Giovanni in Monte (1689–90). In 1666 he helped to found the Accademia dei Filarmonici of Bologna, which he served as principe from 1672. Colonna was a distinguished composer of oratorios, six of which are extant. Among his other fine works were two vols, of motets (Bologna, 1681) and the Messe e salmi concertati (Bologna, 1691).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire