Ammon, Blasius

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Ammon, Blasius

Ammon, Blasius, Austrian composer; b. Imst, c. 1560; d. Vienna, between June 1 and 21, 1590. He was a choirboy in the Innsbruck Hofkapelle, where he most likely began his musical training. Following studies in Venice, he returned to Innsbruck and was a member of the Franciscan order until 1580. After serving as Kantor of the Cistercian monastery in Heiligkreuz (1585–87), he settled in Vienna as a priest in the Franciscan monastery. He was a fine composer of sacred vocal music, including introits for 5 Voices (Vienna, 1584) and for 4 Voices (Vienna, 1601), masses for 4 Voices (Vienna, 1588), and motets for 4 to 8 Voices (Munich, 1590) and for 4 to 6 Voices (Munich, 1593).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire