Giovanni Paolo Colonna (1637-1695) - Beatus Vir a quattro voci (1694)

Buon compleanno Giovanni Paolo Colonna! 🙏🏼🎻 Composer: Giovanni Paolo Colonna (1637-1695) Work: Beatus Vir a quattro voci, ’Psalmi ad vesperas’ Opera XII (1694) Performers: Hοustοn Chamber Choir & Orchestra; Robert Simpsοn (conductor) Painting: David Ryckaert (1612-1661) - Domestic Music making (1650) HD image: Painting: Giovanni Maria Viani (1636-1700) - Giovanni Paolo Colonna HD image: Further info: Listen free: --- Giovanni (Pietro) Paolo Colonna [Colomna] (Bologna, 16 June 1637 - Bologna, 28 November 1695) Italian composer, teacher, organist and organ builder. He was the son of a well-known organ builder from Brescia, Antonio Colonna (alias Dal Corno) and Francesca Dinarelli, and himself became an active authority on organ construction. As a young man he took organ lessons in Bologna with Agostino Filipucci and then went to Rome to study composition with Abbatini, Benevoli and Carissimi. He served as organist in San Apollinare there before pursuing his career in Bologna. In 1659 he was made second organist and in 1661 organist at San Petronio, and then served as its maestro di cappella from 1674 until his death. He also was maestro di cappella at the church of the Madonna della Galliera (1673-88) and at San Giovanni in Monte (1689-90). In 1666 he was one of the founder-members of the Bolognese Accademia dei Filarmonici and was elected principal in 1672 and re-elected in 1674, 1685 and 1691. As a composer, he was a distinguished composer of oratorios, six of which are extant. Among his other fine works were two volums of motets (Bologna, 1681), the Messe e salmi concertati (Bologna, 1691) and Psalmi ad vesperas (Bologna, 1694). He was widely recognized in his lifetime and in the 18th century as one of the most distinguished Italian church musicians.