Prominent figure of the Roman School, he was one of the most relevant composers in the golden century of the classical polyphony. He was first chapel master in San Luigi dei Francesi, then in the German-Hungarian College and, at Palestrina’s death, took his post conducting the Cappella Giulia in the Vatican, being finally appointed Chaplain pontifical chanter.

Giovannelli’s sacred and secular compositions (masses, motets and villanelle), although obviously affected by Palestrina’s great talent, clearly denote - especially those for eight voices - the passage from a rigorously horizontal writing, typical of the sixteenth century, to that vertical and harmonic conception of the music a new aesthetic sensitivity would have translated in to baroque style.

Forgotten for a long time, his opuses, included in the repertoire of a few choirs, come slowly back to a new life. Even recordings are scarce, like the one issued by Archiv, performed by the Choir of Westminster Abbey (Jubilate), conducted by Simon Preston, or that by the Corale San Filippo of Rome, Fabrizio Barchi conductor, included in the CD La Scuola Romana (ERREFFE edizioni musicali - 1018CD).

Giovannelli’s works are today executed by the Ensemble Vocale Sagittarius (cond. Michel Laplercie), the polyphonic choir Città del Palestrina (cond. Luciano Luciani), the Corale San Michele Arcangelo, Velletri (cond. Antonio Censi).

Publications about R. Giovannelli:

Composizioni Sacre, collection of masses, motets and other compositions, both sacred and secular, transcribed by Paolo Teodori and issued by the Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina Foundation - Palestrina 1992. Address: Fondazione G.P. da Palestrina - Centro Studi Palestriniani - Casella Postale 56 - 00036 Palestrina (RM). Tel: +39.6.953.8083. Fax: +39.6.953.8943.

Ruggiero Giovannelli and the Madrigal in Rome, 1572-1599, Ph.D. Dissertation by De Ford Ruth Irene, 1975.