Gastoldi Giovanni Giacomo

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Gastoldi Giovanni Giacomo

Gastoldi, Giovanni Giacomo, eminent Italian composer; b. Caravaggio, date unknown; d. c. 1622. He was active mainly in Mantua. He was a sub-deacon (1572) and deacon (1573–74) at S. Barbara, later serving as maestro di contrappunto to the young priests (1579–87) and as maestro di cappella (1592–1608); then went to Milan. He contributed part of the score of L’ldropica for performance at the Mantuan court (June 2, 1608). He composed numerous sacred and secular vocal works, the finest being his ballettos, which include Balletti for 5 Voices, con li suoi versi per cantare, sonare, & ballare; con una mascherata de cacciatori for 6 Voices, & un concerto de pastori for 8 Voices (1591; ed. in Le Pupitre, X, Paris, 1968, and by H. Schmidt, N.Y., 1970) and Balletti, con la intavolatum del liuto, per cantare, sonare, & ballare for 3 Voices (1594).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire