Vitali, Giovanni Battista

Vitali, Giovanni Battista significant Italian composer; b. Bologna, Feb. 18, 1632; d. there, Oct. 12, 1692. He became a singer and violoncino player (cellist) at S. Petronio in Bologna, where he was a pupil of Cazzati, its maestro di cappella; was a member of the Accademia Filarmonica of Bologna by 1666. After serving as maestro di cappella at S. Rosario in Bologna (1673-74), he was made one of the two vicemaestri di cappella to Duke Francesco II at the Este court in Modena; was his maestro di cappella from 1684 to 1686 before reverting to vicemaestro in 1686. Vitali was a leading figure in the development of the Baroque sonata, most particularly of the trio sonata. He publ. the influential pedagogical work Artificii musicali,op.13 (Modena, 1689).

Works

INSTRUMENTALCorrenti e balletti da camerafor 2 Violins and Basso Continuo, op.l (Bologna, 1666); Sonatefor 2 Violins and Basso Continuo (organ), op.2 (Bologna, 1667); Salmi concertifor 2 to 5 Instruments, op.6 (Bologna, 1677); Balletti, correnti alla francese, gagliarde, e brando per ballarefor 4 Instruments, op.3 (Bologna, 1679); Balletti, correnti, gighe, allemande, e sarabandefor Violin, Violone or Spinet, and 2 Violins ad libitum, op.4 (Bologna, 1668); Sonatefor 2 to 5 Instruments, op.5 (Bologna, 1669); Varie partite del passemezo, ciaccona, capricii, e passagaliifor 2 Violins and Violone or Spinet, op.7 (Modena, 1682); Balletti, correnti, e capricci per camerafor 2 Violins and Basso Continuo, op.9 (Venice, 1684); Varie sonate alla francese, e all’itaglianafor 6 Instruments, op.ll (Modena, 1684); Balli in stile francesefor 5 Instruments, op.12 (Modena, 1685); Artificii musicali ne aualli se contengono canoni in diverse maniere, contrapunti dopii, inventioni curiose, capritii, e sonate,op.13 (Modena, 1689; ed. by L. Rood and G. Smith, Smith Coll. Music Archives, XIV, 1959); T. Vitali, ed., Sonate da camerafor 2 Violins and Violone, op. 14 (Modena, 1692). VOCAL: 6 oratorios, including L’ambitione debellata overo La caduta di Monmuth (Modena, 1686) and II Giono (Modena, 1689); 10 cantatas; Hinni sacri per tutto Vannofor Voice and 5 Instruments, op.10 (Modena, 1684).

Bibliography

J. Suess, G.B. V and the “Sonata da chiesa” (diss., Yale Univ., 1963).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire