Raffaello Rontani

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Raffaello Rontani (born in Florence in the 16th century and died in Rome in 1622) was an Italian composer. From 1610 Rontani was in the service of Antonio de' Medici in Florence and from 1616 until his death, chapel master of San Giovanni dei Fiorentini , in Rome. Moreover, he seems to have served at least two members of the nobility: he mentions, in particular in the dedication of his opus 6, that he is "capo del... concerto" of Duke Sforza. In his time he seems to have been one of the most popular Italian composers of vocal music, particularly of solo songs. Half of his Varie musiche books have been reprinted and nearly a third of the pieces contained survive in manuscript. In total the six books contain 97 pieces, 60 of which are monodic. Although an unattractive melodist, it is easy to see how his long lines, driving rhythms and subtle phrasing could command admiration. Nowadays he appears with his strophic songs, less gratifying than Italian composers of the time, such as Calestani and Berti. He is called "the Florentine" by a publisher, in an anthology where his music appears. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.

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