Ciconia, Johannes b. 1370 d. July, 1412 Composer, Theorist. An important figure in music's transition from the Medieval to Renaissance periods. Belgian by birth, he spent most of his life in Italy and his surviving output blends Franco-Flemish and Italian inflences. This was a step in the growing "internationalism" that had its first great synthesis under Guillaume Dufay. Ciconia was born in Liege, the illegitimate son of a priest, and trained as a choirboy there. In 1391 he was in Rome, where Pope Boniface IX personally absolved him...[Read More] (Bio by: Robert Edwards) Basilica of Saint Anthony, Padua, Provincia di Padova, Veneto, Italy
Mandic, Saint Leopold b. May 12, 1866 d. July 30, 1942 Apostle of the Confession; Apostle of Unity. Twelfth child born to Peter and Caroline Mandic. Physically malformed and delicate of health, Bogdan early showed signs of great spiritual strength and integrity. At age 16, Bogdan left Dalmatia for Italy. There he became a student at the Capuchin Seraphic School at Udine, and an aspirant to the Capuchins. He applied himself to his studies, and entered the Capuchin Order as a novice on 20 April 1884 at Bassano del Grappa, taking the religious name...[Read More] Basilica of Saint Anthony, Padua, Provincia di Padova, Veneto, Italy
Porta, Costanzo b. 1529 d. May 19, 1601 Composer. Possibly the most technically accomplished of the Renaissance polyphonists. He wrote the most complex choral music of the period, frequently utilizing double-choirs and dozens of voices, yet his technique was so solid that the words he set were always intelligible. His most famous work is the "Missa Ducalis" (1565), dedicated to Cosimo I de' Medici. Porta was born in Cremona, Italy. He became a Franciscan monk and studied music in Venice under Adrian Willaert, who strongly...[Read More] (Bio by: Robert Edwards) Basilica of Saint Anthony, Padua, Provincia di Padova, Veneto, Italy
Strozzi, Barbara b. August 6, 1619 d. November 11, 1677 Italian Musician. Considered the greatest woman composer of the Baroque period. Born in Venice, she was the illegitimate daughter of a servant woman in the house of Giulio Strozzi, a respected man of letters. Strozzi adopted Barbara, made her his sole heir, and saw to it that she received a good education, something denied most women of the time. It was even arranged for her to study music with Francesco Cavalli, Italy's foremost opera composer after Monteverdi. The Strozzi home was a...[Read More] (Bio by: Robert Edwards) Basilica of Saint Anthony, Padua, Provincia di Padova, Veneto, Italy
b. 1195 d. June 13, 1231
