Biography
Manfredini pursued violin studies under instructors that encompassed Torelli and Perti, with the latter imparting techniques of contrapuntal composition. Traces of the Bolognese school, above all the guidance of those two figures, surface throughout his output. He held the position of principal violinist at Ferrara’s church of the Holy Spirit. By 1704 he had joined the reconstituted orchestra in Bologna, and records suggest—but do not confirm—that he served as chapel master at the court of Monaco from 1711 to 1718. In 1727 he assumed the same post at St Philip’s Cathedral in Pistoia, a role he retained for the remainder of his life. Although his catalog remained modest in size, it embraced sonatas, concertos, oratorios, and sinfonie. The writing frequently recalls Torelli and Perti, most notably through its reliance on unison passages. Six of his sonatas appeared in a London edition of 1764 that blended ecclesiastical and chamber idioms, a fusion that had become standard practice after 1700.