Festa, Costanzo

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Festa, Costanzo

Festa, Costanzo, important Italian composer; b. c. 1480; d. Rome, April 10, 1545. He was a singer in the Pontifical Chapel from 1517. He was a composer of much importance, being regarded as a forerunner of Palestrina, whose works were strongly influenced by those of Festa. He was the first important Italian musician who successfully fused the Flemish and Italian styles, melodically and harmonically. His madrigals were widely known through various publ. collections (1530–49). Among his extant works are 4 masses, mass movements, about 60 motets, and 30 vesper hymns. A. Main ed. Costanzo Festa, Opera omnia, in Corpus Mensurabilis Musicae, XXV (1962–68).

Bibliography

H. Musch, C. F. als Madrigalistkomponist (Baden-Baden, 1977).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire

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