Frescobaldi - Messa della Monica (1) Kyrie Video

Girolamo Frescobaldi (September 13, 1583 - March 1, 1643) was an Italian musician, one of the most important composers of keyboard music in the late Renaissance and early Baroque periods. A child prodigy, Frescobaldi studied under Luzzasco Luzzaschi in Ferrara, but was influenced by a large number of composers, including Ascanio Mayone, Giovanni Maria Trabaci, and Claudio Merulo. He served as organist of one of Rome's most important churches, St. Peter's Basilica, since late 1608, and, intermittently, until his death.

Frescobaldi's printed collections contain some of the most influential music of the 17th century. His work influenced Johann Jakob Froberger, Johann Sebastian Bach, Henry Purcell, and countless other major composers. Pieces from his celebrated collection of liturgical organ music, Fiori musicali (1635), were used as models of strict counterpoint as late as the 19th century.

Choir of King's College, Cambridge conducted by Stephen Cleobury

image: Basilique d'Orcival, Auvergne, France