Scandello, Antonio
Scandello, Antonio
Scandello, Antonio, distinguished Italian instrumentalist and composer; b. Bergamo, Jan. 17, 1517; d. Dresden, Jan. 15, 1580. He was born into a family of the nobility, and studied in his native city and played cornett at S. Maria Maggiore there. After serving Cardinal Christoph Madruzzi in Trent (1547–49), he was called to Dresden by the Elector Moritz of Saxony as an instrumentalist in the court chapel; later became a Protestant and in 1562 was made a citizen of Dresden. When the Kapellmeister Le Maistre became ill in 1566, Scandello assumed most of his responsibilities, and upon Le Maistre’s retirement in 1568, Scandello was made his successor. Under his leadership, the Dresden court chapel attained notable distinction. Scandello was a particularly fine composer of sacred music. His St. John Passion (1561) was the first work of its kind in Germany to combine the chorale and motet styles. His other works include masses, motets, and Italian and German secular songs.
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire