ALFIERI, PIETRO

ALFIERI, PIETRO. – Musician, born on 29 June 1801 and died on 12 June 1863 in Rome. A Camaldolese monk, abbot, professor of singing at the English College in Rome, and contributor to the Gazzetta musicale of Milan, translator of Catel’s treatise on harmony, he wrote various studies of a historical nature: Ristabilimento del canto gregoriano e della musica ecclesiastica (1843); Brevi notizie storiche sulla Congregazione ed Accademia de' maestri e professori di musica di Roma (1845); Saggio storico teorico pratico del canto gregoriano (1855); Prodromo sulla restaurazione dei libri di canto gregoriano (1857), as well as biographical notices on Bernardo Bittoni and Niccolò Jommelli. He also compiled several anthologies of music by Palestrina, Vittoria, Allegri, etc., and a Raccolta di musica sacra (1841–47), in 7 vols., which is the first, incomplete collection of Palestrina’s music.