Costanzo Porta

Costanzo Porta(1528 or 1529 – 19 May 1601) was an Italiancomposerof theRenaissance,and a representative of what is known today as theVenetian School.He was highly praised throughout his life both as a composer and a teacher, and had a reputation especially as an expertcontrapuntist.

Costanzo Porta

Biography

Porta was born inCremona.Details of his early life are slim, but he probably was educated at the Convent Porta San Luca inCremona.Around 1550 he is thought to have studied withAdrian Willaert,who wasmaestro di cappellaatSt. Mark'sin Venice; while he was there he metClaudio Merulo,who was also a student; they remained close friends throughout their lives. In 1552 Porta becamemaestro di cappellaatOsimoCathedral; in 1565 he took a position inPaduabriefly, but took a more important position inRavennathe next year, where he was hired to build an entirely new music practice at the cathedral. By 1580 his services were much in demand, and there was competition for him; he declined an offer fromMilan,moving instead between positions in several cities. In addition he had become a renowned teacher by this time, and numerous composers of the next generation learned theircontrapuntalskills from Porta. His last years were spent inPadua,and they were clearly difficult. Musical standards there began to decline, and he faced in addition the burden of ill health and the jealousy of the man who was eventually to replace him. He died in Padua. He is buried in theBasilica of Saint Anthony of Padua.

Style

Missa Ducalis,1565 ca.

Most of Porta's output is sacred music, especiallymotets.He published at least eight books of motets, one of which is known to be lost, as well as books ofmasses,introits,and a huge cycle ofhymnsforVespers.

Porta's music is even morepolyphonicthan that ofGombert,and he showed a liking for academic, even severecontrapuntaldevices, although they are used so skillfully that the text can always be clearly understood. Often his music uses strictcanons;one motet from his book of 52 motets from 1580, in seven voices, has no less than four of the voices entirely derived canonically. Another motet from this same book is amensuration canon,that most difficult of all contrapuntal forms to carry off. While many composers were reacting to the strictures of theCouncil of Trentagainst excessive polyphonic practice, Porta evidently felt unobliged to follow them; perhaps he had sufficient confidence in his skill in conveying the text. His music is as carefully controlled as that ofPalestrina,with cautious use ofdissonanceandchromaticism,while displaying polyphonic virtuosity to a degree uncommon in other composers of sacred music at the end of the 16th century.

Some of the later motets usepolychoralwriting extensively. Although Porta was not in Venice in the late part of the century, where this style had become famous (seeVenetian polychoral style), he had spent years there as a student studying with Willaert, and the influence clearly lasted throughout his life. Most likely he was familiar with the current practice in Venice, and adopted some of the innovations which worked best with his highly learned style.

Porta also wrotemadrigals.Many of these were clearly intended for specific occasions, such as weddings and large social events in the families of his employers; they are in a much simpler style than his sacred works, much in keeping with contemporary practice.

Sources

• Reese, Gustave(1954).Music in the Renaissance.New York: W.W. Norton & Co.ISBN0-393-09530-4.
• "Costanzo Porta".The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, ed. Stanley Sadie.London: Macmillan Publishers. 1980.ISBN1-56159-174-2.
• Lillian Pruett: "Costanzo Porta", Grove Music Online, ed. L. Macy (Accessed December 5, 2007),(subscription access)Archived2008-05-16 at theWayback Machine

External links

• Free scores by Costanzo Portain theChoral Public Domain Library(ChoralWiki)
• Free scores by Costanzo Portaat theInternational Music Score Library Project(IMSLP)
• Recercare sopra ut re mi fa sol la:https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9e2OfcWa48E