Pietro Gnocchi

Pietro Gnocchi (27 February 1689 – 9 December 1775) was an Italian composer, choir director, historian, and geographer of the late Baroque era, active mainly in Brescia, where he was choir director of Brescia Cathedral. In addition to composing an abundance of eccentrically titled sacred music, all of which remains in manuscript, he wrote a 25-volume history of ancient Greek colonies.

Life The principal source for information on Gnocchi's life is an unpublished manuscript written by his associate C. Cristoni, now in the Biblioteca Civica Queriniana in Brescia. Gnocchi was born in Alfianello, in the Province of Brescia, then under the control of the Republic of Venice. The second of four sons of a middle-class family, he studied music and eventually became a priest.

While none of Gnocchi's music has been published, one CD of some of his instrumental works is available: a 2005 recording of sonatas by Brixia Musicalis. In 2005, LIBER, a non-profit society in Alfianello, Gnocchi's birthplace, initiated the "Eventi nel segno di Pietro Gnocchi", a festival of sacred music. Some of his masses, as well as vocal and instrumental works, were played. The concerts take place on the third Sunday of October.

Most of Gnocchi's music output is stored in the archives of the Brescia Cathedral and Chiesa della Madonna delle Grazie in Brescia.

Selected discography

Pietro Gnocchi: Six Concertos/Sonata a tre: Main-Barockorchester / Martin Jopp. Aeolus AE 10077. Released 2016