Vincenzo Ruffo (c. 1508 – 1587) was an Italian
composer of the Renaissance. He was one of the
composers most responsive to the musical reforms
suggested by the Council of Trent, especially in his
composition of masses, and as such was an influential
member of the Counter-Reformation.
Vincenzo Ruffo was born at Verona, and became a priest
there in 1531. Most likely he studied with Biagio
Rossetti, the organist at the cathedral in Verona.
Ruffo published his first book of music in 1542....(+)
Vincenzo Ruffo (c. 1508 – 1587) was an Italian
composer of the Renaissance. He was one of the
composers most responsive to the musical reforms
suggested by the Council of Trent, especially in his
composition of masses, and as such was an influential
member of the Counter-Reformation.
Vincenzo Ruffo was born at Verona, and became a priest
there in 1531. Most likely he studied with Biagio
Rossetti, the organist at the cathedral in Verona.
Ruffo published his first book of music in 1542. Also
in 1542 he became maestro di cappella at the cathedral
in Savona, but he only held this position for a year;
the cathedral was destroyed in 1543 by the Genoese, and
Ruffo fled.
In either 1543 or 1544 he went to Milan to work for
Alfonso d'Avalos, who was the governor of Milan at this
time. When d'Avalos was called back to Madrid in 1546,
Ruffo went back to in Verona, where he was the music
director at the Accademia Filarmonica in 1551-1552,
superseding Jan Nasco; in 1554 he became the
choirmaster at the cathedral of Verona. While there he
probably taught Gian Matteo Asola and Marc' Antonio
Ingegneri, the teacher of Monteverdi; it is possible,
though not proven, that he taught Andrea Gabrieli there
as well.
His music during this time was strongly influenced by
the Franco-Flemish school, but when he in 1563 became
maestro di cappella in the cathedral of Milan under
Carlo Borromeo, he began composing in the Tridentine
style of which Borromeo was a strong supporter. One of
the criticisms of the Council of Trent was that music
had become so contrapuntally complex that it was
impossible to understand the words being sung: Ruffo
responded by composing masses in as simple a style as
was consistent with clear expression of the text. Late
in his life, however, he evidently became dissatisfied
with composing masses in a strictly chordal style and
returned to using a moderately contrapuntal style.
In 1564 several of his compositions were published in
Milan; two works from this book were included many
years later in the English manuscript known as the Dow
Partbooks. In 1572 he became the maestro di cappella at
Pistoia, and then Milan again; for his final job he had
a similar employment at the cathedral in Sacile, where
he died in 1587.
Source: Wikipedia
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincenzo_Ruffo).
Although originally scored for Choir (ATTB), I created
this Interpretation of the "Adoramus te Christe" (We
adore thee Christ) for Viola Quartet.
