What is Luca Marenzio?
[[File:Luca conte Marenzio, Komponist des 16. Jahrhunderts.jpg|right|thumb|Luca Marenzio]] '''Luca Marenzio''' (born Coccaglio, near [[Brescia]], [[Italy]], [[18 October]]? [[1553]]?; died [[Rome]], [[22 August]] [[1599]]) was an [[Italy|Italian]] composer who lived in the late [[Renaissance music|Renaissance]]. He was one of the best known composers of [[madrigal]]s. ==Life== Marenzio may have been born in 1553. We think this because his father once wrote down his son’s age. The date may have been 18 October because that was his [[name day|saint’s feast day]]. He had his early education in Brescia possibly in [[Mantua]]. Then he moved to Rome, where he worked as a singer for Cardinal Cristoforo Madruzzo. After the cardinal's death he worked at the court of Cardinal Luigi d'Este. Here he started to become known as a composer. By 1581 his music had become extremely popular. His books of madrigals were often reprinted. His madrigals were often included in published collections. In 1587 he moved to [[Florence]] where he worked for Ferdinando I de' Medici for two years; in 1589 he returned to Rome, where he spent most of his last years, except for a trip to [[Poland]] from 1596 to 1597, during which time he worked at the court of Sigismund III Vasa in [[Warsaw]]. It seems from what some people wrote that his trip to Poland ruined his health, and he died in Rome in 1599, shortly after returning from Poland. ==Music== Marenzio wrote some religious music: [[motet]]s, and madrigals based on religious texts. However, most of his famous music consists of secular (not religious) madrigals. They were written during a period of twenty years, and they vary a lot in style. Marenzio published at least fifteen collections of music, mostly madrigals but also ''[[canzonetta|canzonette]]'' and ''[[villanella|villanelle]]''. These were similar to madrigals but very light in character. Some of his later works are very [[chromatic]]: they use [[harmony]] that was unusual for the time. He often makes the music fit