Centorio: Vocal and Instrumental Music

The first-ever album dedicated to the work of a master contrapuntalist of early-17th-century northern Italy. Composer: Marco Antonio Centorio Artists: Capella Musicale della Cattedrale di Vercelli, Denis Silano (conductor) More information: Who was Marco Antonio Centorio? Given how little attention has been paid to his music in modern times, a surprising amount is known about him. Born around 1600 in the Piedmontese town of Vercelli, Centorio was blessed with a fine treble voice that secured him an education at the town’s Collegio degli Innocenti. When his voice broke he moved to Milan and studied both organ and theory there, before moving back to his home-town, where he became the titular organist by the age of 18. A decade later he became maestro di capella, and held the post until his early death in 1638. Most of his extant music was preserved in the Vercelli Chapter Archive, which supplied the manuscripts for these wor