Egidio Trabattone: Concerti 2.3. e 4 Voci, Libro Secondo (1629)

One of several musicians in the Trabattone family, Egidio Trabattone (born in Desio, near Milan, date unknown, died c.1644) served as a Franciscan priest as well as organist during his lifetime.  He was organist at Varese Cathedral in 1625, becoming maestro di cappella there in 1628.  In 1638 he became organist of S Vittore in Seregno.  Between 1625 and 1642 he published seven collections of sacred music.  All but the 1629 set were printed in Milan, leading some historians to surmise that he was well-acquainted with the musical scene in that city and/or that he had a wealthy patron who subsidized his compositional efforts.  Another assumption is that he may have been a member of the noble Trebatoni family of the Lombardy region.  

The motets in the 1629 collection exhibit many characteristics of the small-scale concertato motet of the period.  Florid passages for individual lines combine with more homophonic sections (Ecce fideles #17), occasional points of imitation occur amongst the voices (In caelis hodie #24), and almost all of them alternate large sections of duple and triple meter.  Containing a variety of texts suitable for liturgical observations throughout the year, the collection concludes with a four-voice Litany to the Blessed Virgin Mary.