Antonio Gianettini

Antonio Gianettini (also Giannettini, Zanettini, Zannettini; 1648 – 12 July 1721) was an Italian organist, concertmaster and composer.

Born in Fano, almost nothing is known about Gianettini's musical training; in 1662, sources place him in Venice, where he probably studied under the guidance of Sebastian Enno. On 14 January 1674 he was admitted as a bass singer in the choir of the chapel of the Basilica of San Marco. Subsequently, on 5 December 1676 he was appointed as an organist at the Basilica of Santi Giovanni e Paolo with a salary of 40 ducats a year (a position he held until 1679). In this period he studied music with Carlo Grossi and perhaps also with Giovanni Legrenzi. On 25 January 1677 he was also an organist at San Marco (while being a choir singer). From 1676 he started to be active as a composer: in this period he wrote about ten works in Venice and Milan and various sacred music (including some motets for Ippolito Bentivoglio). During years 1685-1686 he was also active as a composer and a capella teacher for the Duke of Hannover Ernesto Augusto of Brunswick-Lüneburg. While there, he stayed in a building overlooking the Grand Canal.

On May 1, 1686, Gianettini left his offices at San Marco to take the place of maestro di cappella at the court of Francesco II, Duke of Modena. His salary for his services to the court of Modena was 396 lire a month (a considerable amount for the time). For the Duke's court he wrote 9 oratorios, but also other sacred compositions, cantatas and serenades. With the outbreak of the Spanish succession war, Modena was occupied by the French and in 1702 he had to flee with Duke Rinaldo I (successor of Francesco II) to Bologna. After the war, in 1707 he returned to Modena, where he continued his work as the director of the chapel, but without receiving the high salary like years before. In May 1721 he decided to accompany her daughter Maria Caterina to Munich, a city where she was active as a singer at the Bavarian court and where he died shortly after.

Although rarely known now, Gianettini was considered as one of the most talented composers of his era. He was very much appreciated as an opera and composer of sacred music both in Italy and in Germany.

Antonio Gianettini, in Dizionario biografico degli italiani, Rome, Institute of the Italian Encyclopedia.

Gianettini created oratorios, of which La morte di Cristo is the best known, as well as about 20 stage works, cantatas, masses and other sacred music.

Oratorios

Stage works