Composer. Born in Rieti, Perugia, Italy, he joined the choir of Rome's Santi Apostoli Church at age five and by the time he was 16 his own vocal pieces were being sung there. From 1677 until his death he was music director of San Marco's in Rome as well as choirmaster of St. Peter's (from 1719) and a top official at the Saint Cecilia Academy. Pitoni's long, busy life was devoted entirely to music and he was one of the most prolific composers of all time. Some 3500 compositions have been attributed to him, almost all in the realm of sacred works. These include 325 Masses, nearly 800 Psalm settings, and 236 motets. He worked with such facility that he could write each part of a contrapuntal 16-voice Mass seperately, without a score, and have them all mesh perfectly in the finished product. Although he occasionally utilized instrumental accompaniment, he preferred the a capella vocal style of the High Renaissance and was one of the last musicians to be directly influenced by Palestrina. The sheer volume of his output inevitably led to repetition and re-use of material, but several of his pieces stand out, particularly his "Stabat Mater" and middle-period motets.
Composer. Born in Rieti, Perugia, Italy, he joined the choir of Rome's Santi Apostoli Church at age five and by the time he was 16 his own vocal pieces were being sung there. From 1677 until his death he was music director of San Marco's in Rome as well as choirmaster of St. Peter's (from 1719) and a top official at the Saint Cecilia Academy. Pitoni's long, busy life was devoted entirely to music and he was one of the most prolific composers of all time. Some 3500 compositions have been attributed to him, almost all in the realm of sacred works. These include 325 Masses, nearly 800 Psalm settings, and 236 motets. He worked with such facility that he could write each part of a contrapuntal 16-voice Mass seperately, without a score, and have them all mesh perfectly in the finished product. Although he occasionally utilized instrumental accompaniment, he preferred the a capella vocal style of the High Renaissance and was one of the last musicians to be directly influenced by Palestrina. The sheer volume of his output inevitably led to repetition and re-use of material, but several of his pieces stand out, particularly his "Stabat Mater" and middle-period motets.
Bio by: Bobb Edwards
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