Perti: Grand Motets

Giacomo Antonio Perti (1661-1756) was the most important composer and representative of the Bolognese school at the beginning of the 18th century. From 1696 up until his death, he was conductor at the Basilica of San Petronio in Bologna. The great prince of Tuscany, Ferdinando III de'Medici, especially valued Perti and charged him with the composition of six operas for his theater near Florence. In addition, Ferdinando III Perti with six extensive motets for the birthday of his father Cosimo III De'Medici. These motets are unique in the Bolognese tradition: on the one hand by the requirement of a zinc as a concertato instrument, on the other by the fusion of melodramatically inspired tone richness with the tradition of church music and strict counterpoint. Perti uses a complex range of styles that create a unique form for these motets.