ANTEGNATI COSTANZO

The Antegnatis of Brescia were one of Europe\\”s great organs building dynasties but the most famous Antegnati is probably Costanzo (1549-1624). He was head of the firm for many years, and, despite a stroke sustained about 1600, organist of Brescia Cathedral from 1584 until 1624. He was also a prolific composer. His vocal music comprised masses, motets and madrigals and his instrumental music included, as well as contributions to the anthologies of Raveri (1608) and Klosemann (1622), four books of Canzoni alla francese. Of these no trace survives save that a manuscript copy of Book 3 is preserved in the library of the Royal Conservatory, Brussels (ms. B Bc 5865) and it may well be that the fifteen of his Canzoni included by Johannes Woltz in the third part of the latter\\”s “Nova Musicæ Organicæ Tabulatura” (1617) come from one of the other books. Antegnati also published as part of his Opus 16, a set of 12 ricercari for organ, one in each of the ecclesiastical modes, the work being entitled “L\\”Antegnata”.