Italian composer and priest. Possibly a pupil of G. B. Nanino, he had by 1640 been twenty years in the service of the Aldobrandini family in Rome. He composed operas in which stretches of recitative are contrasted with tuneful songs and dance-like choruses, and oratorios, and published 5-part madrigals and two volumes of aria and dialogues. These contain some of the earliest printed dynamic indications, including signs for 'crescendo', 'diminuendo', and 'messa di voce'.