- Antonius Romanus
Antonius Romanus (fl.
1400 –1432 ) was an Italian composer of the early15th century , the early "quattrocento ", in which musical styles was in transition between the late medieval era and early Renaissance.Few details are known about his life. Judging from his name, he may have been from Rome, and there are several records of his activity as a singer at St. Mark's in
Venice between 1420 and 1432. His music appears to have been strongly influenced byJohannes Ciconia , who died in 1412, and it also seems to have been an influence on the youngGuillaume Dufay , who was inItaly during most of Antonius's later period of known activity.Six sacred compositions and one secular piece by Antonius have survived. The three mass movements, two Glorias and a Credo, all for four voices, are influenced by Ciconia; the three
motet s, also for four voices, are isorhythmic. All three can be approximately dated. The first, "Ducalis sedes/Stirps Mocenigo", can be dated to 1414 or 1415, since it is written in praise ofTommaso Mocenigo , who was electeddoge of Venice in 1414. The second, "Carminibus festos/O requies populi", was written for the dogeFrancesco Foscari , who assumed the post in 1423. The last, "Aurea flammigera", he most likely wrote in praise ofGianfrancesco Gonzaga on his triumphant return fromMilan in 1432. Antonius's single remaining secular composition is aballata , "Deh s'i t'amo con fede"; only one voice survives from this composition, and it is without text.The similarities of style of some of Antonius's music to Dufay's earliest works suggest that the two may have crossed paths, or at least known each other's works.
References and further reading
* Albert Seay/David Fallows: "Antonius Romanus", Grove Music Online, ed. L. Macy (Accessed March 15, 2006), [http://www.grovemusic.com (subscription access)]
* Albert Seay, "Antonius Romanus", "The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians", ed. Stanley Sadie. 20 vol. London, Macmillan Publishers Ltd., 1980. ISBN 1-56159-174-2 (Note: this article contains a works list absent in the online Grove article)
*Gustave Reese , "Music in the Renaissance". New York, W.W. Norton & Co., 1954. ISBN 0-393-09530-4
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