Life
He was born in Velletri, near Rome. It has been claimed that he was a student of Palestrina, but there is no documentary evidence of this; stylistic similarities between their music, and an obvious close career association, make it a reasonable assumption. Not much is known about Giovannelli's life until 1583 when he became maestro di cappella at S Luigi dei Francesi, a post which he held until 1591, at which time he went to the Collegio Germanico. In addition to these posts he was maestro di cappella for Duke Giovanni Angelo of Altaemps, at his private chapel, probably concurrently with his other jobs. He also sang, and served in various administrative posts.
Giovannelli's most important appointment was as the replacement for Palestrina as the maestro di cappella at the Julian Chapel at St. Peter's, on 12 March 1594, a position which he held until 1599, when he became a singer at the Sistine Chapel. In 1614 he became maestro di cappella at the Sistine Chapel, and he retired in 1624. He is buried in the church of Santa Marta.
Read more about this topic: Ruggiero Giovannelli
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