Consortium Carissimi

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Consortium Carissimi uncovers and brings to audiences the long forgotten Italian Baroque music of the 17th & 18th centuries.

Consortium Carissimi was founded in Rome, Italy in 1996, with the mission of uncovering and bringing to modern day ears, through live concerts, master classes, recordings and publications, the long-forgotten early Italian baroque music of the 16th and 17th centuries; exquisite instrumental music and excellent vocal music. 

Consortium Carissimi connects to the community in four key ways: 

1. Manuscript transcription and publication
2. Educational programs
3. Performances
4. Recordings

Currently, there is no other organization in the United States that can provide music such as this. Consortium Carissimi has the opportunity to be a key partner within the Twin Cities' celebrated cultural community by providing sacred and secular music that has not been heard since the 17th Century, in beautifully acoustical environments with musicians that are skilled in the Italianate style of music-making. The Consortium’s unique commitment to the Italian works of the 16th and 17th has already garnered an international reputation through the Italy-based ensemble that consisted of three male vocal specialists, organ, theorbo and viola da gamba. Upon the foundation built by their Italian counterpart, the stateside ensemble has emerged, first performing in November of 2007, and now a sole-entity and gaining vibrancy and excitement all of its own.

Among the various types of music that flourished in Rome during the 16th and 17th century, the oratories of Giacomo Carissimi are examples of the most outstanding form of composition of that time. Consortium Carissimi bears the name of the famous composer, whose music was known for its simple, fresh new approach to text, melody and accompaniment. The unique strength that Consortium Carissimi provides is in the hearing of these long-forgotten and seemingly unattainable pieces, since much of this music has not been heard since the 17th century. 

Gaining permission for research and transcription, Founder and Artistic Director, Garrick Comeaux, transcribed over 100 manuscripts of operas, motets, cantatas and oratorios from libraries throughout Europe. These transcriptions include all of the known works of Carissimi as well fourteen additional composers that include Bernardo Pasquini, Bonifazio Graziani, Luigi Rossi, and Marco Marazzoli. 

With over 200 manuscripts in the collection, transcription of the entire library has not yet been completed and is considered an ongoing process. This repertory, wrongly forgotten and rarely heard today, offers examples of the high standard of musical creativity of this time. There are no autographs (documents written entirely in the handwriting of its author) of motet manuscripts of Giacomo Carissimi. Musicologists and musicians must rely on transcriptions of these beautiful pieces if there are to be heard.