Alessandro Melani

Alessandro Melani, born into a renowned musical family in Pistoia in 1639, was a prominent Italian composer of the Baroque era. As the youngest of seven musically gifted siblings, he followed in the footsteps of his older brother Jacopo, a composer, and Atto, a celebrated castrato singer. Melani's career flourished in Rome, where he served as choir master and composed a vast array of liturgical music, including motets, oratorios, and operas. His works, known for their technical complexity and polychoral richness, placed him among the leading composers of his time, alongside Bernardo Pasquini and Alessandro Scarlatti. Melani's contributions to Roman opera and sacred music have left an indelible mark on the Baroque repertoire, making his compositions a treasure for both scholars and enthusiasts of early music.