Giovanni Pietro Berti

(? - 1638)

Italian composer, organist, and singer. From childhood he sang in the choir at St. Mark's in Venice; in 1624 he assumed the position of second organist. He composed over fifty songs, including strophic arias and a number of novel forms: the piece Dove sei gita (published in a collection in 1634) is perhaps the earliest extant example of a da capo aria. His songs are important in the early history of the chamber cantata; most appeared in two collections of Cantade et arie ad una voce solo con alcune a doi (Venice, 1624-27).





VD: The Cantata