Giovanni Maria Trabaci Biography

Giovanni Maria Trabaci was one of the most interesting Italian composers of the 17th century. Having started out life as a tenor and organist, and in the latter role held some the most important roles in Italian churches. He was to become a major composer of sacred music, including masses, motets, psalm and hymn settings. Of his personal life we know very little, apart from the fact that he was the benefactor of financial support from the Royal family of Spain, which did allow him the time to devote to writing a modest amount of keyboard scores, also suitable for performance by instrumental ensembles. They demonstrate a composer who was an experimentalist of his time, many of his scores surpassing anything composed to that date.