Francesco Passarini maestro di cappella in San Giovanni in Persiceto

Francesco Passarini, born in Bologna in 1636, after having worked as organist in Ferrara and in Correggio, returned to his Bolognese convent as maestro di cappella. In 1671 he was appointed chapel master by the Community of San Giovanni in Persiceto (near Bologna), to which he dedicated his Compieta Concertata a 5 voci con violini obbligati (Bologna, 1672). In the dedicatory letter, he describes himself as honoured by his appointment in San Giovanni, yet he remained there for one year only. Perhaps he viewed his appointment only as a stepping stone: after all, in 1673 he moved to Santa Maria dei Frari, Venice. This paper provides an outline of the musical activity in San Giovanni in Persiceto during Passarini’s brief stay and examines the provisions of the Community for controlling the quality of the performances and for educating the young. It also analyzes Passarini’s Compieta by contextualizing it within the corpus of his works and within the production of the Bolognese School. The 1672 print of the Compieta is also compared with a nineteenth-century transcription by Giuseppe Busi, professor at the Liceo Musicale in Bologna