d’India, Sigismondo
d’India, Sigismondo
d’India, Sigismondo, outstanding Italian composer; b. Palermo, c. 1582; d. probably in Modena, before April 19, 1629. He most likely traveled throughout Italy visiting various courts (1600–10), then was director of chamber music at the court of Carlo Emanuele I, Duke of Savoy, in Turin (1611–23). After working at the Este court in Modena (1623–24), he was in the service of Cardinal Maurizio of Savoy in Rome (1624–25); subsequently was in the service of the Este court in Modena. D’India was a master of secular vocal music, excelled only by the great Monteverdi. His output included 84 chamber monodies, polyphonic madrigals, motets, and villanellas, as well as works for the stage and some sacred music. At its finest, his music represents an assured command of the styles of Marenzio, Wert, Gesualdo, and Monteverdi, with a personal style marked by bold harmonic progressions. J. Joyce and G. Watkins ed. his works in Musiche Rinascimentali Siciliane (1980 et seq.).
Works
dramatic:Zalizura, pastoral; Sant’Eustacho, sacred drama (Rome, 1625; not extant). vocal: secular songs and duets:Le musiche for 1 to 2 Voices and Basso Continuo (Milan, 1609); Le musiche for 2 Voices and Basso Continuo (Venice, 1615); Le musiche…libro III for 1 to 2 Voices and Basso Continuo (Milan, 1618); Le musiche for 1 to 2 Voices and Basso Continuo, con alcune arie, gue…libro IV (Venice, 1621); Le musiche for 1 to 2 Voices and Basso Continuo, con alcune arie, gui…libro V (Venice, 1623). madrigals and other pieces:Il primo libro de madrigali for 5 Voices (Milan, 1606); Villanelle alla napolitana for 3 to 5 Voices, libro I (Naples, 1608; not extant; 2nd ed., 1610); Libro secondo de madrigali for 5 Voices (Venice, 1611); Librosecondo delle villanelle alla napolitana for 3 to 5 Voices (Venice, 1612); Il terzo libro de madrigali for 5 Voices, Basso Continuo, and Other Instruments ad libitum, ma necessariamente per gli 8 ultima (Venice, 1615); Il quarto libro de madrigali for 5 Voices (Venice, 1616); Il quinto libro de madrigali for 5 Voices (Venice, 1616); Le musiche e balli for 4 Voices and Basso Continuo (Venice, 1621); Settimo libro de madrigali for 5 Voices (Rome, 1624); Ottavo libro de madrigali for 5 Voices and Basso Continuo (Rome, 1624). sacred:Novi concentus ecclesiastici for 2 to 3 Voices and Basso Continuo (Venice, 1610); Liber secundus sacrorum concentuum for 3 to 6 Voices (Venice, 1610); Liber primus motectorum for 4 to 5 Voices and Basso Continuo (Venice, 1627).
Bibliography
F. Mompellio, S. d’l., musicista palermitano (Milan, 1956); J. Joyce,The Monodies of S. d’l. (Ann Arbor, 1981); G. Collisani, S. d’l. (Palermo, 1998).
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire