Biography
Grandi ranked among the most significant and productive composers of motets and madrigals, exceeded perhaps only by Monteverdi. His sacred output advanced through motets that incorporated the emerging concertato manner, while he simultaneously encouraged the move toward the secular cantata and supported the aria’s ongoing refinement. After training with Gabrieli he joined Monteverdi’s circle, rising to second position in 1620. Schutz’s return visit to Venice probably brought the two men together, allowing Grandi’s motets to reach Germany through Schutz and later surface in Bach’s cantatas. Although Grandi worked across several idioms, the solo motet with violin eventually became his principal vehicle. In 1628 he sought a fresh post in a center less acquainted with recent musical trends, hoping to test and extend these forms; the resulting appointment at S Maria Maggiore in Bergamo lasted only two years before he succumbed to the plague in 1630. By 1620 the church was already open to such innovations, finally granting the period’s foremost melodic composer an appropriate setting for his abilities. Within the solo motet Grandi broadened the melodic line, introduced variations on the theme, established a repeated bass pattern, and developed dialogues between violin and voice.