Strozzi, Gregorio (EN)

Strozzi Gregorio, *ca. 1615 San Severino Lucano, †2 January 1692 Naples, Italian composer and organist. He studied under G.M. Sabina in Naples, where, in 1634, he was appointed second organist at the church of Santissima Annunziata. In 1645, he was chaplain at Amalfi Cathedral and abbot of S. Matteo di Albanella near Salerno. In 1655, he obtained a doctorate in civil and canon law at the University of Naples and the title of apostolic notary.

The foremost place in Strozzi’s oeuvre is occupied by the collection Capricci da sonare cembali et organi Op. 4 (Naples 1687), containing: 3 capriccios, 3 ricercars, 3 sonatas, 4 toccatas, 3 galliards, diminutions on the madrigal Ancidetemi pur by J. Arcadelta, 8 courantes, 2 ballets, 1 ballo and 3 sets of variations. The style of these works, the form of the published score, and the visible influences of J. Maque (toccata), G.M. Trabaci (ricercars, dances) and G. Frescobaldi (capriccios, sonatas) allow them to be dated to a period much earlier than the date of publication. Among Strozzi’s individual stylistic features, his tendency towards chromaticism, bold dissonant harmonies, original chord combinations, unusual ornamentation and varied rhythms are particularly noteworthy. Strozzi also published two vocal collections: Responsoria, lamentationes, improperia, psalmi, hymni, motecta et evangelia passionis Op. 1, for four voices with basso continuo (Rome 1655), Officio del Sancto Natale Op. 2 (lost) and the instructional bicinia Elementorum musicae praxis Op. 3, Naples 1683.

Literature: B. Hudson Notes on Gregorio  Srozzi and His Capricci, “Journal of the American Musicological Society” XX, 1967; L. Ghielmi Un’autografo di Gregorio Strozzi, organista del Seicento napoletano, “Informazione organistica” VII, 1995; D. Cannizzaro Il manoscritto del 1675 di Donato Cimino: Un’inedita fonte musicale tra Giovanni Salvatore (1641) e G. S. (1687), “Informazione organistica” XXIII, 2011; G. Bovet Les œuvres d’orgue et clavecin de D. Gregorio Strozzi (1615–1687), “La tribune de l’orgue: Revue trimestrielle Suisse Romande” LXXIII, 2021.