Alessandro Grandi, whom contemporaries considered Monteverdi's equal, was born in Venice in March 1590 to an artisan family.
Composer Biography
Grandi left Venice in 1609 to work for the Accademia dello Spirito Santo in Ferrara, where he occupied major musical positions and attracted jealousy from colleagues.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Grandi's motets exemplify the development of the concertato style and the seconda pratica in sacred music, characterized by attention to text, contrasts, and unusual harmonic progressions.
Composer Biography
Grandi was accepted into St. Mark's choir as a junior choir singer at age 14, despite a rule prohibiting anyone younger than twenty, due to his exceptional musical qualities.
Composer Biography
Grandi died in Bergamo in 1630 with his family, struck by the plague after traveling to Venice.
Composition History
Grandi's early motets show the influence of Giovanni Gabrieli, the music director of the ducal chapel, with at least six motets containing literal quotations from Gabrieli's works.
Composer Biography
Grandi began his ecclesiastical career as a clerk at the church of San Moisè in Venice in February 1602, at the age of 11.
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