Giovanni Battista Grillo

Full biography Giovanni Battista Grillo

Giovanni Battista Grillo was a renowned Italian composer, who lived in the Baroque era. Not much is known about his early life, but it is believed that he was born in Palermo, Sicily, in the early 17th century.

Grillo spent most of his professional career working in Rome, where he became a well-respected composer and musician. He served as the maestro di capella of the Chiesa del Gesu, one of the most important churches in Rome, from 1652 until his death.

As a composer, Grillo is known for his sacred music, particularly his choral compositions. He wrote several masses, motets, and other religious works, many of which were performed at the Chiesa del Gesu. His music was noted for its complex harmonies, inventive use of counterpoint, and emotional depth.

Grillo's most well-known composition is the oratorio, Santa Rosa di Lima, which was commissioned by the Dominicans in Rome in 1654. The piece tells the story of Saint Rose of Lima, the first canonised saint of the Americas, and is considered a masterpiece of Baroque sacred music.

Despite his success as a composer, very few of Grillo's works have survived to the present day. Only a handful of his compositions are known to exist, mainly in manuscript form, and many of these are incomplete.

Giovanni Battista Grillo died in Rome on November 14, 1692, leaving behind a legacy as one of the most important composers of the Baroque era, and one of the great figures of Italian sacred music.