Composer. An important figure in Baroque music, he was born in Rome and spent most of his life there. He helped develop such forms as the concerto grosso and the aria, and was the first to notate a crescendo (a gradual increase of loudness) in his scores. Over 300 of his compositions survive, notably the oratorio "San Giovanni Battista" (1675) and the instrumental serenade "Sinfonia Il Barcheggio" (c. 1677). But Stradella's accomplishments have often been overshadowed by legends surrounding his life. A notorious womanizer, he survived a 1676 assassination attempt by a Roman nobleman he'd cuckolded. His dalliances and seductions sent him packing to Venice, Turin, and finally Genoa. On February 25, 1682, Stradella was stabbed to death by three men on the Piazza Bianchi. The killers had been hired by his latest mistress, exasperated by his chronic infidelities. Stradella's fate caught the imagination of Romantic composers and inspired four operas, including Flotow's "Alessandro Stradella" (1844).
Composer. An important figure in Baroque music, he was born in Rome and spent most of his life there. He helped develop such forms as the concerto grosso and the aria, and was the first to notate a crescendo (a gradual increase of loudness) in his scores. Over 300 of his compositions survive, notably the oratorio "San Giovanni Battista" (1675) and the instrumental serenade "Sinfonia Il Barcheggio" (c. 1677). But Stradella's accomplishments have often been overshadowed by legends surrounding his life. A notorious womanizer, he survived a 1676 assassination attempt by a Roman nobleman he'd cuckolded. His dalliances and seductions sent him packing to Venice, Turin, and finally Genoa. On February 25, 1682, Stradella was stabbed to death by three men on the Piazza Bianchi. The killers had been hired by his latest mistress, exasperated by his chronic infidelities. Stradella's fate caught the imagination of Romantic composers and inspired four operas, including Flotow's "Alessandro Stradella" (1844).
Bio by: Bobb Edwards
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