Italian composer. In early life a choirmaster at Padua, in 1624 he moved to Rome as maestro at S. Maria dei Monti, and joined the Papal choir in 1629. He was the first Roman opera composer and one of the creators of the baroque cantata. His works include six books of arie and three other secular collections, a Mass, psalms, canzonas, and two operas (one of which was Il Sant'Alessio).