Giovanni Animuccia

Giovanni Animuccia (c. 1500 – c. 20 March 1571)[1][2] was an Italian composer of the Renaissance who was involved in the heart of Rome's liturgical musical life.

Giovanni's first and second book of madrigals show similarities with, and may have been modeled on, the music of his slightly older contemporary Francesco Corteccia, court composer to Duke Cosimo I de' Medici.

[9] Although the precise date is unknown, Animuccia was involved with music for these meetings from early on and remained maestro di capella of the Oratory until his death.

Animuccia's first book contains simple settings of Italian laudi which are homophonic throughout,[2] and were probably sung by amateur singers as part of Phillip Neri's early devotional meetings.

[12] The music in Animuccia's second book of laudi is much more madrigal-like;[13] he uses a greater variety of textures, sonorities, and languages (Latin and Italian).

His reasons for the change in style are stated in his dedication: The oratory having increased, by the grace of God, with the coming together of prelates and of most important gentlemen, it seemed to me fitting in this second book to increase the harmony and the combination of parts, varying the music in diverse ways, now setting it to Latin words and now to the vernacular, sometimes with a greater number of voices and sometimes with fewer, with verses now of one kind and now of another, concerning myself as little as possible with imitations and complexities, in order not to obscure the understanding of the words.

[14] Animuccia's most important composition for this period was his Il primo Libra di Messe (Latin: Missarum Liber Primus; 1567).

[15] To carry out the Council's recommendations in Rome, a Reform Commission was set up, headed up by Cardinals Carlo Borromeo and Vitellozzo Vitelli.

[17] Animuccia, as magister cantorum of the Capella Giulia, would no doubt have been aware of this test; it is unsurprising therefore that in 1566 there is a record of him being paid "for the composition of five masses [written] according to the requirements of the Council [of Trent].

Other significant stylistic features of Animuccia's composition style include variations in vocal textures and color by varying voice groupings, and instances of word painting.