Musicatlas
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Music
Best-known masses: Te Deum Laudamus, Benedicamus Domino, Beati Caroli, Eucharistica, Pontificalis I and II. One Requiem. Motets: Tu es Petrus, Oremus Pro Pontifice, Sacerdos et Pontifex.
Life
He studied in Milan and Regensburg. Became a priest in 1895. Had the title of `Direttore perpetuo della Cappella Sistina’.
He studied faithfully, in spite of sickness, first at Milan, then under the learned Fr. Haberl at Ratisbon. He became a conductor at Imola, and afterwards at Venice, where he led his forces with decided vigor. Soon after this, he began to compose the oratorios that have him so famous. His sacred trilogy, "The Passion of Christ", included the "Last Supper", the "Sermon on the Mount", and the "Death of the Redeemer". It made a sensation that reverberated through all Italy, and caused his appointment in the following year as honorary master of the Papal Choir. He has been untiring as a composer, producing no less than fifteen masses and nearly a dozen oratorios. Among the latter are "The Transfiguration", "The Annunciation", "The Raising of Lazarus", "The Birth of the Redeemer" and the two-part "Moses". His music does not posses the calm dignity shown by Palestrina, but its semi-popular style is well adapted to his hearers, and may lead the way to something better.
(Contribution by Raúl Izaguirre <rizagui
yahoo.com>.)