Alessandro Melani was born on this day, the fourth of February, 1639, in Pistoia. He was born into a family of musicians and one of his brothers was a castrato singer. Castratos were increasingly popular as the Seventeenth Century went on, and they reached their zenith of popularity in the Eighteenth century. I quite like Melani’s music, as it is relaxing and well, beautiful!
Here is the first piece I listened to, his Requiem:
I love how he incorporated the beauty of the human voice with other instruments, resulting in a thing of pure beauty.
This next piece, Magnificat, hearkens back to the musical styles of the Late Renaissance, in my opinion:
Melani held the position of maestro at San Luigi dei Francesi for over thirty years, and he died in 1703.
Read more:
1) BBC Music
