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Giovanni Legrenzi was an influential Italian Baroque composer, organist, and teacher of the Venetian school.Born near Bergamo around 1626, Legrenzi became a prominent figure in Venetian music. He served as maestro di cappella at the Accademia dello Spirito Santo in Ferrara (1656-1665), Bergamo's Santa Maria Maggiore (1665-1670), and finally at the prestigious St. Mark's Basilica in Venice (1685-1690), the pinnacle of his career. He composed numerous operas, oratorios, sonatas, and sacred works, significantly developing the trio sonata and cantata forms. His innovative harmonic language and expressive style influenced later composers like Vivaldi and Bach. He died in Venice in 1690.

• Despite applying for the prestigious post of maestro di cappella at St. Mark's Basilica in Venice twice before (in 1670 and 1676), Legrenzi was initially rejected, reportedly due to intense competition and rivalries within the Venetian musical establishment.
• His influence extended far beyond Venice. Copies of his instrumental sonatas were widely circulated across Europe, including Germany, where they significantly impacted the development of the North German organ school and composers like Johann Sebastian Bach, who studied and transcribed Legrenzi's works.
• Legrenzi's cause of death in 1690 was recorded simply as old age ('senectus') in the Venetian death records.