Giovanni Animuccia

St Phillip Neri founded a religious congregation called the Oratory. The Oratory began in the early 1550s as small and informal meetings for religious discussion and prayer; these meetings soon began to attract large numbers of people.[8] In 1558, when Phillip obtained a larger room to hold the meetings in, the practice of singing of laudi spirituali was introduced.[2] Singing laudi was a popular practice in Florence following the legacy of Girolamo Savonarola who strongly encouraged its use, and it is natural therefore that Phillip would incorporate this practice into his meetings.[9] Although the precise date is unknown, Animuccia was involved with music for these meetings from early on and remained maestro di capella of the Oratory until his death. Neri was so pleased with Animuccia that he said he had "seen [his] soul... fly upwards towards heaven".[4] The Oratory was able to attract many musicians who volunteered their services; this included the famous singer Francesco Soto de Langa from the Capella Sistina, the composer Palestrina, and probably the composer Tomás Luis de Victoria who lived in the same house as St. Phillip Neri for five years.[10]

Animuccia published two books of laudi for use in the Oratory in 1563 and 1570.[5] His work formed the basis of the oratorios that did not descend from the polyphonic Gregorian "Passions".[4] Animuccia's Florentine influence is evident as some of his texts originate from Florence.[11] Stylistically the two books are rather different. Animuccia's first book contains simple settings of Italian laudi which are homophonic throughout,[2] and were probably sung by amateur singers as part of Phillip Neri's early devotional meetings.[12] The music in Animuccia's second book of laudi is much more madrigal-like;[13] he uses a greater variety of textures, sonorities, and languages (Latin and Italian). His reasons for the change in style are stated in his dedication:

The oratory having increased, by the grace of God, with the coming together of prelates and of most important gentlemen, it seemed to me fitting in this second book to increase the harmony and the combination of parts, varying the music in diverse ways, now setting it to Latin words and now to the vernacular, sometimes with a greater number of voices and sometimes with fewer, with verses now of one kind and now of another, concerning myself as little as possible with imitations and complexities, in order not to obscure the understanding of the words.[2]

By this time, the number of people attending the Oratory had increased significantly, and Animuccia wished to offer more complex music to "woo influential people through music into churches."[2]

The final session of the Council of Trent closed in 1563. One of the primary concerns of the council in its latter stages was the reform of the liturgy, in particular the reform of ‘abuses of the Mass’.[15] To carry out the Council's recommendations in Rome, a Reform Commission was set up, headed up by Cardinals Carlo Borromeo and Vitellozzo Vitelli.[16] The main issues that Cardinals Borromeo and Vitelli sought to address regarding music were ‘intelligibility’ (i.e., that Masses should be composed so words could be clearly understood) and the use of secular music in Mass settings. In 1565, the diary of the papal chapel choir recorded that Cardinal Vitelli requested that the choir assemble at his house for a private test of some Mass settings to see whether the words could be understood.[17]

Animuccia, as magister cantorum of the Capella Giulia, would no doubt have been aware of this test; it is unsurprising therefore that in 1566 there is a record of him being paid "for the composition of five masses [written] according to the requirements of the Council [of Trent]."[2] Animuccia's Il primo Libra di Messe was published at Rome a year later.[3] In his dedication he writes:

…I have sought to adorn these divine praises of God in such a way that the music may disturb the hearing of the text as little as possible, but nevertheless in such a way that it may not be entirely devoid of artifice and may contribute in some measure to the listener’s pleasure.[18]

All the Masses are freely composed plainsong paraphrases - which fulfills the requirement of the eradication of secular influences. Animuccia's presentation of an ‘intelligible’ style is only evident in the Gloria and the Credo,[19] and even here he seems reluctant to strip all ‘artifice’ from the music. Instead he alternates homophonic phrases with polyphonic phrases. In his book of Masses Animuccia is consciously trying to compose music that reconciles, as he sees it, the two polarities in this issue of composing ‘intelligible’ music: that of making the text audible, yet at the same time sounding beautiful – therefore fulfilling the music's most important function of drawing the listener deeper into prayer and closer to God. Other significant stylistic features of Animuccia's composition style include variations in vocal textures and color by varying voice groupings, and instances of word painting.[20]

Other works composed by Animuccia in this period include some madrigali spirituali (1565) and a collection of hymns, motets, Masses and Magnificats (1568).