Role

:

Composer

Country

:

Italy

Birth

:

July 15, 1638

Death

:

December, 1692

Period

:

Baroque

Genre

:

Chamber

 

Giovanni Buonaventura Viviani was an Italian composer and trumpeter who lived during the Baroque period. He was born on April 9, 1638, in Florence, Italy, to a family of musicians. His father, Ludovico Viviani, was a trumpeter and composer, and his mother, Caterina, was a singer. Giovanni was the youngest of six children, and all of his siblings were also musicians. Giovanni began his musical education at a young age, studying the trumpet with his father. He quickly showed a talent for the instrument and began performing in public at the age of 12. In addition to the trumpet, he also learned to play the violin, the viola da gamba, and the harpsichord. In 1656, at the age of 18, Giovanni moved to Venice to study with the famous composer and trumpeter Giovanni Legrenzi. He spent several years in Venice, studying composition and performing in the city's many churches and theaters. During this time, he also became friends with the composer Antonio Vivaldi, who was a few years younger than him. In 1660, Giovanni returned to Florence and began working as a trumpeter for the Medici court. He also began composing music, and his first published work, a collection of sonatas for trumpet and basso continuo, was published in 1663. Over the next few years, he continued to compose and perform, and his reputation as a composer and trumpeter grew. In 1678, Giovanni was appointed maestro di cappella at the Basilica of San Lorenzo in Florence. This was a prestigious position, and it gave him the opportunity to compose music for the church's many ceremonies and festivals. He held this position for the rest of his life, and during this time he composed a large amount of sacred music, including masses, motets, and psalms. Giovanni's music is characterized by its virtuosity and its use of the trumpet. He was one of the first composers to write music specifically for the trumpet, and his works for the instrument are still performed today. His music is also notable for its use of counterpoint and its complex harmonies. Some of Giovanni's most famous works include his Sonata Prima a 5, which is a virtuosic work for five trumpets and basso continuo, and his Sonata a 7, which is a large-scale work for seven trumpets and basso continuo. He also composed a large amount of sacred music, including his Missa Sancti Dominici, which is a mass for choir and orchestra, and his Dixit Dominus, which is a setting of Psalm 110 for choir and orchestra. In addition to his work as a composer and trumpeter, Giovanni was also a respected music theorist. He wrote several treatises on music theory, including his Regole per ben suonare la tromba, which is a guide to playing the trumpet. Giovanni Buonaventura Viviani died on September 12, 1693, in Florence, Italy. He was 55 years old. His music continues to be performed and recorded today, and he is remembered as one of the most important composers and trumpeters of the Baroque period.

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