Adriano Banchieri (1568 Bologna - 1634, Bologna)
Italian composer and theorist. A Benedictine monk, he was organist at the monastery of S Mishele in Bosco for most of his life. Although a versatile composer of sacread and instrumental music, Banchieri is chiefly remembered for his treatises on performing practice and for his six books of spirited three-voice canzonettas; in these the pieces are textually linked to form works in the madrigal-comedy genre (the most famous is La Pazzia senile). His treatise L’organo suonarino (1606) describes the realization of bass figures, giving instructions for accompanying liturgical chant, while Cartella musicale (1614) contains his writings on harmony, rhythm and vocal ornamentation.
(from the Norton/Grove Encyclopedia of Music)
