Donati or Donate, Baldassare
Donati or Donate, Baldassare
Donati or Donate, Baldassare, famous Italian composer; b. Venice, c. 1527; d. there, c. June 1603. He became a chorister at San Marco in Venice in 1550, where he also became a singing teacher to the choirboys in 1562. He was director of the cappella piccola there from 1564 until it was disbanded by Zarlino when he became maestro di cappella in 1565. Donati then resumed his place as a chorister at San Marco. He was appointed maestro of the singers at the Scuola Grande di San Rocco in 1577, but again resumed his place at San Marco in 1578. He was made maestro di canto to the Seminario Gregoriano di San Marco in 1580, and in 1588 was named vice-maestro di cappella at San Marco, succeeding Zarlino as its maestro di cappella in 1590. He was a particularly notable composer of secular works in a lighter vein.
Works
(all publ. in Venice): Le napollitane et alcuni madrigali for 4 Voices (1550); II primo libro di madrigali for 5 to 6 Voices con 3 dialoghi for 7 Voices (1553); II secondo libro de madrigali for 4 Voices (1558); II primo libro de motetti for 5 to 6 and 8 Voices (1599); various other works in contemporary collections.
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire