Stefano Bernardi
Encyclopedia
Stefano Bernardi (c. 1577 – 15 February 1637), also known as "il Moretto", was an Italian priest, composer and music theorist. Born in Verona
and maestro di cappella at the Verona Cathedral
from 1611 to 1622, he later moved to Salzburg
, where he was responsible for the music at the Salzburg Cathedral and composed a Te Deum
for 12 choirs performed at the cathedral's consecration in 1628. Bernardi's career spanned the transition from late Renaissance music
to early Baroque
, with some of his works in the polyphonic style of Palestrina
and others in the new concertato
style. He composed both sacred and secular music, including several masses
and motet
s as well as sinfonia
s and three books of madrigals
. He also wrote a treatise on counterpoint
published in 1615.
College) attached to the Verona Cathedral, where he also sang in the choir under Ippolito Baccusi. By 1602 he was a paid musician at the court of Count Mario Bevilacqua and at the Accademia Filarmonica in Verona. In 1606, the Accademia elevated his position to maestro della musica (Music Master). The following year Bernardi went to Rome for further training and stayed there for four years, becoming the maestro di cappella of Santa Maria ai Monti
in 1610. He returned to Verona in 1611 when he was offered the same position at the Verona Cathedral as the successor to Francesco Anerio. He held that post until 1622 and during that time was also closely associated with the Accademia Filarmonica. He published a treatise on counterpoint, Porta musicale, in 1616 primarily for the students at the Scuola Accolitale where he also taught. Amongst his students in Verona in those years were Antonio Bertali
and Pietro Verdina.
In 1622 Bernardi left Verona to take up a post as Director of Court Music to Archduke Carl Joseph, Bishop of Breslau and Brixen
. Following the Archduke's death in 1624, Bernardi settled in Salzburg, where he was to become the Director of Court Music for Paris von Lodron, the Prince-Bishop
of Salzburg
, a position he held until 1634. As such, he was also deeply involved in the musical life of Salzburg Cathedral, where he was one of the first composers to introduce the new Italian concertato
style. For its consecration in 1628, Bernardi composed a Te Deum
(music now lost) sung by twelve separate choirs placed in the various marble galleries of the cathedral. While in Salzburg, he was ordained a priest and also received a doctorate in canon and civil law. Towards the end of his life, Bernardi returned to Verona where he died in 1637.
by Giacomo Vincenti, and later by Alessandro Vincenti who also published a posthumous collection of Bernardi's Messe a otto voci (Masses for eight voices) in 1638. Two collections of his works were published in Rome: Motecta (motet
s) for two to five voices in 1610, four of which were also anthologized by Georg Victorinus in his Siren coelestis published in Munich in 1616, and a collection of madrigals for three voices in 1611 which also contains a six-part "peasants' masquerade
". The music has been lost for two of the works he composed in Salzburg, the Te Deum and a dramatic work (title unknown). However Encomia sacra for two to six voices which he wrote in Salzburg was published there by Gregor Kyrner in 1634. His Salmi concertati for five voices published in 1637 is considered particularly important for the way the psalms highlight an alto or soprano soloist against a four voice choir which echoes the beginnings and endings of the solo passages. In addition to five psalms for vespers
, the collection also contains a Magnificat
and the hymn, Jesu nostra redemptio. Another important work was the Concerti Accademici which Bernardi composed for the Accademia Filarmonica in Verona between 1615 and 1616. Originally published in 1616 and containing what Magnabosco considers his finest pieces of secular music, it consists of ten madrigali concertati (concerted madrigals) and eight sinfonia
s. A modern edition of the Concerti Accademici by Flavio Cinquetti and Matteo Zenatti, with critical revision and an essay by Marco Materassi was published in 2008.
Verona
Verona ; German Bern, Dietrichsbern or Welschbern) is a city in the Veneto, northern Italy, with approx. 265,000 inhabitants and one of the seven chef-lieus of the region. It is the second largest city municipality in the region and the third of North-Eastern Italy. The metropolitan area of Verona...
and maestro di cappella at the Verona Cathedral
Verona Cathedral
Verona Cathedral is a church in Verona, northern Italy.It was erected after two Palaeo-Christian churches on the same site had been destroyed by an earthquake in 1117. Built in Romanesque style, the cathedral was consecrated on September 13, 1187...
from 1611 to 1622, he later moved to Salzburg
Salzburg
-Population development:In 1935, the population significantly increased when Salzburg absorbed adjacent municipalities. After World War II, numerous refugees found a new home in the city. New residential space was created for American soldiers of the postwar Occupation, and could be used for...
, where he was responsible for the music at the Salzburg Cathedral and composed a Te Deum
Te Deum
The Te Deum is an early Christian hymn of praise. The title is taken from its opening Latin words, Te Deum laudamus, rendered literally as "Thee, O God, we praise"....
for 12 choirs performed at the cathedral's consecration in 1628. Bernardi's career spanned the transition from late Renaissance music
Renaissance music
Renaissance music is European music written during the Renaissance. Defining the beginning of the musical era is difficult, given that its defining characteristics were adopted only gradually; musicologists have placed its beginnings from as early as 1300 to as late as the 1470s.Literally meaning...
to early Baroque
Baroque music
Baroque music describes a style of Western Classical music approximately extending from 1600 to 1760. This era follows the Renaissance and was followed in turn by the Classical era...
, with some of his works in the polyphonic style of Palestrina
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina was an Italian Renaissance composer of sacred music and the best-known 16th-century representative of the Roman School of musical composition...
and others in the new concertato
Concertato
Concertato is a term in early Baroque music referring to either a genre or a style of music in which groups of instruments or voices share a melody, usually in alternation, and almost always over a basso continuo...
style. He composed both sacred and secular music, including several masses
Mass (music)
The Mass, a form of sacred musical composition, is a choral composition that sets the invariable portions of the Eucharistic liturgy to music...
and motet
Motet
In classical music, motet is a word that is applied to a number of highly varied choral musical compositions.-Etymology:The name comes either from the Latin movere, or a Latinized version of Old French mot, "word" or "verbal utterance." The Medieval Latin for "motet" is motectum, and the Italian...
s as well as sinfonia
Sinfonia
Sinfonia is the Italian word for symphony. In English it most commonly refers to a 17th- or 18th-century orchestral piece used as an introduction, interlude, or postlude to an opera, oratorio, cantata, or suite...
s and three books of madrigals
Madrigal (music)
A madrigal is a secular vocal music composition, usually a partsong, of the Renaissance and early Baroque eras. Traditionally, polyphonic madrigals are unaccompanied; the number of voices varies from two to eight, and most frequently from three to six....
. He also wrote a treatise on counterpoint
Counterpoint
In music, counterpoint is the relationship between two or more voices that are independent in contour and rhythm and are harmonically interdependent . It has been most commonly identified in classical music, developing strongly during the Renaissance and in much of the common practice period,...
published in 1615.
Biography
Bernardi was born in Verona and educated at the Scuola Accolitale (AcolyteAcolyte
In many Christian denominations, an acolyte is anyone who performs ceremonial duties such as lighting altar candles. In other Christian Churches, the term is more specifically used for one who wishes to attain clergyhood.-Etymology:...
College) attached to the Verona Cathedral, where he also sang in the choir under Ippolito Baccusi. By 1602 he was a paid musician at the court of Count Mario Bevilacqua and at the Accademia Filarmonica in Verona. In 1606, the Accademia elevated his position to maestro della musica (Music Master). The following year Bernardi went to Rome for further training and stayed there for four years, becoming the maestro di cappella of Santa Maria ai Monti
Santa Maria ai Monti
Santa Maria dei Monti is a cardinalatial titular church in Rome, Italy. The church is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary.-History:...
in 1610. He returned to Verona in 1611 when he was offered the same position at the Verona Cathedral as the successor to Francesco Anerio. He held that post until 1622 and during that time was also closely associated with the Accademia Filarmonica. He published a treatise on counterpoint, Porta musicale, in 1616 primarily for the students at the Scuola Accolitale where he also taught. Amongst his students in Verona in those years were Antonio Bertali
Antonio Bertali
Antonio Bertali was an Italian composer and violinist of the Baroque era.He was born in Verona and received early music education there from Stefano Bernardi. Probably from 1624, he was employed as court musician in Vienna by Emperor Ferdinand II. In 1649 Bertali succeeded Giovanni Valentini as...
and Pietro Verdina.
In 1622 Bernardi left Verona to take up a post as Director of Court Music to Archduke Carl Joseph, Bishop of Breslau and Brixen
Brixen
Brixen is the name of two cities in the Alps:*Brixen, South Tyrol, Italy*Brixen im Thale, Tyrol, AustriaBrixen may also refer to:*Bishopric of Brixen, the former north-Italian state....
. Following the Archduke's death in 1624, Bernardi settled in Salzburg, where he was to become the Director of Court Music for Paris von Lodron, the Prince-Bishop
Prince-Bishop
A Prince-Bishop is a bishop who is a territorial Prince of the Church on account of one or more secular principalities, usually pre-existent titles of nobility held concurrently with their inherent clerical office...
of Salzburg
Archbishopric of Salzburg
The Archbishopric of Salzburg was an ecclesiastical State of the Holy Roman Empire, its territory roughly congruent with the present-day Austrian state of Salzburg....
, a position he held until 1634. As such, he was also deeply involved in the musical life of Salzburg Cathedral, where he was one of the first composers to introduce the new Italian concertato
Concertato
Concertato is a term in early Baroque music referring to either a genre or a style of music in which groups of instruments or voices share a melody, usually in alternation, and almost always over a basso continuo...
style. For its consecration in 1628, Bernardi composed a Te Deum
Te Deum
The Te Deum is an early Christian hymn of praise. The title is taken from its opening Latin words, Te Deum laudamus, rendered literally as "Thee, O God, we praise"....
(music now lost) sung by twelve separate choirs placed in the various marble galleries of the cathedral. While in Salzburg, he was ordained a priest and also received a doctorate in canon and civil law. Towards the end of his life, Bernardi returned to Verona where he died in 1637.
Works
Most of Bernardi's works were published in his lifetime, primarily in VeniceVenice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
by Giacomo Vincenti, and later by Alessandro Vincenti who also published a posthumous collection of Bernardi's Messe a otto voci (Masses for eight voices) in 1638. Two collections of his works were published in Rome: Motecta (motet
Motet
In classical music, motet is a word that is applied to a number of highly varied choral musical compositions.-Etymology:The name comes either from the Latin movere, or a Latinized version of Old French mot, "word" or "verbal utterance." The Medieval Latin for "motet" is motectum, and the Italian...
s) for two to five voices in 1610, four of which were also anthologized by Georg Victorinus in his Siren coelestis published in Munich in 1616, and a collection of madrigals for three voices in 1611 which also contains a six-part "peasants' masquerade
Mascherata
A mascherata is a dance from the sixteenth century and was particularly popular in Florence. It was performed by costumed dancers, and frequently pantomimed Roman and Greek themes in them...
". The music has been lost for two of the works he composed in Salzburg, the Te Deum and a dramatic work (title unknown). However Encomia sacra for two to six voices which he wrote in Salzburg was published there by Gregor Kyrner in 1634. His Salmi concertati for five voices published in 1637 is considered particularly important for the way the psalms highlight an alto or soprano soloist against a four voice choir which echoes the beginnings and endings of the solo passages. In addition to five psalms for vespers
Vespers
Vespers is the evening prayer service in the Western Catholic, Eastern Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, and Lutheran liturgies of the canonical hours...
, the collection also contains a Magnificat
Magnificat
The Magnificat — also known as the Song of Mary or the Canticle of Mary — is a canticle frequently sung liturgically in Christian church services. It is one of the eight most ancient Christian hymns and perhaps the earliest Marian hymn...
and the hymn, Jesu nostra redemptio. Another important work was the Concerti Accademici which Bernardi composed for the Accademia Filarmonica in Verona between 1615 and 1616. Originally published in 1616 and containing what Magnabosco considers his finest pieces of secular music, it consists of ten madrigali concertati (concerted madrigals) and eight sinfonia
Sinfonia
Sinfonia is the Italian word for symphony. In English it most commonly refers to a 17th- or 18th-century orchestral piece used as an introduction, interlude, or postlude to an opera, oratorio, cantata, or suite...
s. A modern edition of the Concerti Accademici by Flavio Cinquetti and Matteo Zenatti, with critical revision and an essay by Marco Materassi was published in 2008.
Sacred music
- Motecta for two to five voices (Rome, 1610)
- Psalmi integri for four voices (Venice, 1613)
- Motetti in cantilena for four voices (Venice, 1613)
- Messe for four to five voices (Venice, 1615)
- Missae octonis vocibus modulatae for eight voices (Venice, 1616)
- Concerti sacri scielti, et trasportati dal secondo, et terzo libro de madrigali for five voices and organ (Venice, 1621)
- Psalmi for eight voices, one with organ accompaniment (Venice, 1624)
- Te Deum for 12 choirs (first performed on September 24, 1628 in the Salzburg Cathedral, music lost)
- Encomia sacra for two to six voices (Salzburg, 1634)
- Salmi concertati for five voices (Venice, 1637)
- Messe a otto voci for eight voices (Venice, 1638)
Secular music
- Il primo libro de madrigali for three voices (Rome, 1611)
- Il primo libro de madrigali for five voices (Venice, 1611)
- Il secondo libro de madrigali for five voices (Venice, 1616)
- Concerti academici con varie sorti di sinfonie for six voices (Venice, 1616)
- Il terzo libro de madrigali for five voices concertati (Venice, 1619)
- Madrigaletti for two to three voices, also contains several sonataSonataSonata , in music, literally means a piece played as opposed to a cantata , a piece sung. The term, being vague, naturally evolved through the history of music, designating a variety of forms prior to the Classical era...
s for three instruments—two violins or cornettCornettThe cornett, cornetto or zink is an early wind instrument, dating from the Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque periods. It was used in what are now called alta capellas or wind ensembles. It is not to be confused with the trumpet-like instrument cornet.-Construction:There are three basic types of...
s and one theorboTheorboA theorbo is a plucked string instrument. As a name, theorbo signifies a number of long-necked lutes with second pegboxes, such as the liuto attiorbato, the French théorbe des pièces, the English theorbo, the archlute, the German baroque lute, the angélique or angelica. The etymology of the name...
, tromboneTromboneThe trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
or fagotto (Venice, 1621) - Il terzo libro de madrigali for six voices concertati with several instrumental sonatas (Venice, 1624)
Writings
- Porta musicale per la quale il principiante con facile brevità all'acquisto delle perfette regole del contrapunto vien introdotto (Verona, 1615)
Sources
- Arnold, Dennis (1983). "Bernardi, Stefano" in The New Oxford Companion to Music. Oxford University Press, p. 215. (also reprinted on arts.jrank.org. Accessed 22 November 2010)
- Buelow, George J. (2004). A History of Baroque Music. Indiana University Press. ISBN 0253343658
- Fisher, Alexander (2008). "Celestial Sirens and Nightingales: Change and Assimilation in the Munich Anthologies of Georg Victorinus ", Journal of Seventeenth-Century Music Volume 14, no. 1. ISSN 1089747X
- Jensen, Niels Martin (1992). "The Instrumental Music for Small Ensemble of Antonio Bertali: The Sources". Danish Yearbook of Musicology Volume 20 pp. 25-43
- Kurtzman, Jeffrey G. (1995). Vesper and Compline Music for One Principal Voice. Routledge. ISBN 0815321651
- Magnabosco, Michele (2007). "Stefano Bernardi: il primo dei moderni". Cadenze. Accademia Filarmonica di Verona, Anno III n. 10 June–August 2007.
- Randel, Don Michael (ed.) (1996). "Bernardi, Stefano" in The Harvard Biographical Dictionary of Music. Harvard University Press (1996) pp. 73–74. ISBN 0674372999, 9780674372993
- Sadie, Julie Anne (1998) "Bernardi, Stefano" in Companion to Baroque Music. University of California Press, pp. 80–81. ISBN 0520214145
- Sadie, Stanley (2006). Mozart: The Early Years 1756-1781. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0198165293
External links
- Kraibacher, Michael. Biography of Stefano Bernardi and List of directors of court music in Salzburg on Salzburg City of Music. Accessed 22 November 2010.