Carissimi, Giacomo

Carissimi, Giacomo (jä`kōmō kärēs`sēmē), 1605–74, Italian composer. Most of his life was spent in Rome, where he wrote chamber cantatas in a style that lasted for over a century. His Latin oratorios, of which Jephtha is best known, are among the earliest extant examples of true oratorio. Famous as a teacher, he had among his pupils Alessandro Scarlatti.

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Carissimi, Giacomo

(baptized April 18, 1605, Marino, near Rome—died Jan. 12, 1674, Rome) Italian composer. He worked as maestro di cappella at the Collegio Germanico in Rome, a musically important post at a notable Jesuit institution, from 1629 until his death. His approximately 15 oratorios (performed in place of operas during Lent), including Baltazar, Ezechia, Jephte, Jonas, and Judicium extremum made him the principal oratorio composer of the mid-17th century. He also wrote some 150 cantatas and nearly 100 motets.