Lelio Colista

Full biography Lelio Colista

Lelio Colista (13 January 1629 – 13 October 1680) was an Italian Baroque composer , lutenist, and guitarist. He spent most of his career working in Rome, where he was a lutenist in the court of Cardinal Francesco Maria Brancaccio and later served as maestro di cappella at the titular church of San Marcello al Corso. Although he wrote mostly instrumental music , he also composed two oratorios for San Marcello.

Colista's music had a profound influence on the development of Corelli's style, and he was considered by many to be one of the leading composers of Roman instrumental music in the seventeenth century. Despite this, very little of his music was actually published during his lifetime, and much of it remains relatively unknown today.

In recent years, there has been renewed interest in Colista's music, and there have been several recordings of his works released by various record labels. His Complete Trio Sonatas have been edited by Antonella and are widely available for purchase.

In summary, Lelio Colista was an influential Baroque composer and lutenist who worked in Rome during the seventeenth century. Although much of his music was not published during his lifetime, he had a significant impact on the development of instrumental music in Rome, and his works are still admired by modern musicologists and performers today.