Viadana (real name, Grossi), Lodovico

Viadana (real name, Grossi), Lodovico esteemed Italian composer and teacher; b. Viadana, near Parma, c. 1560; d. Gualtieri, near Parma, May 2, 1627. He adopted the name Viadana when he entered the order of the Minor Observants; was maestro di cappella at Mantua Cathedral (c. 1594-97). After a sojourn in Rome, he was maestro di cappella at the convent of S. Luca in Cremona in 1602. He then held that post at Concordia Cathedral (1608-09) and at Fano Cathedral (1610-12), and served as difrmitor of his order for Bologna province (1614-17). After a sojourn in Busseto, he settled in the convent of S. Andrea in Gualtieri. He was formerly accredited with the invention of the basso continuo (thoroughbass), but Peri’s Euridice (publ. 1600) has a figured bass in certain numbers, as does Banch-ieri’s Concerti ecclesiastici (publ. 1595), whereas Viadana’s Cento concerti con il basso continuodid not appear until 1602 (Venice). However, he was the first to write church concertos with so few parts that the organ continuo was employed as a necessary harmonic support. A prolific composer, he publ. numerous masses, Psalms, Magnificats, Lamentations, motets, etc. C. Gallico brought out Opere di Lodovico Viadanain Monumenti Musicali Mantovani (Kassel, 1964 et seq.).

Bibliography

A. Parazzi, Della vita e delle opere musicali di L. Grossi-V. inventore del basso continuo nel secolo XVI (Milan, 1877).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire