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Orfeo Vecchi

1551 – 1603

Composer, choirmaster

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About Orfeo Vecchi

Lived 1551 – 1603 (aged 51–52). Orfeo Vecchi was a composer and musician.

Orfeo Vecchi (ca. 15511603) was an Italian composer and choirmaster. His most important appointment as choirmaster was at Santa Maria alla Scala, Milan. His earliest extant compositions date from 1588.

Biography Vecchi was born sometime around the year 1551 and educated in the Vercelli Cathedral. In 1580 Vecchi was nominated by Charles Borromeo for the post of the newly created position of "maestro di cappella" at Santa Maria alla Scala, in good part because of the combination of his youth and training. This effort was successful. in the post-Tridentine style, His tenure at Santa Maria alla Scala returned the institution to its leading place among musical establishments in Milan. His reputation was such that a collection of his work was published (though at no benefit to himself) in its entirety outside Milan.

Compositions He is best known for his two collections of "sacred madrigals", La Donna vestita di sole (1590) and Scielta de Mardrigali (1604). The second of these, published by his brother a year after his death, contains works borrowed from the secular madrigals of other composers, and modified into motets with Latin sacred texts substituting for the original lyrics. His output of motets, psalms, masses, and other musical works was unmatched in his time.

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Important facts

Born
1551, Vercelli, Milan
Birth century
Died
1603, Milan
Occupation
Positions held
Chapelmaster

People in Orfeo Vecchi's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Orfeo Vecchi's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Orfeo Vecchi?

composer, choirmaster

When was Orfeo Vecchi born?

Orfeo Vecchi was born in 1551 in Vercelli, Milan.

When did Orfeo Vecchi die?

Orfeo Vecchi died in 1603 in Milan.

What was Orfeo Vecchi's occupation?

Orfeo Vecchi was a composer and musician.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Orfeo Vecchi

· Wikidata: Q11939478

· DBpedia: Orfeo Vecchi

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Orfeo Vecchi. https://biography.guide/orfeo-vecchi/

MLA: "Orfeo Vecchi." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/orfeo-vecchi/.

Chicago: "Orfeo Vecchi." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/orfeo-vecchi/.

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