maestro di cappella

/ dɪ kəˈpɛlə /

noun

1. a person in charge of an orchestra, esp a private one attached to the palace of a prince in Italy during the baroque period See capellmeister

Word History and Origins

Origin of maestro di cappella¹

Italian: master of the chapel

Example Sentences

Though he composed ample sacred music in his capacity as maestro di cappella at the Basilica San Marco, in Venice, he never published another complete Vespers.

From New York Times

In 1793 he became maestro di cappella at St Peter’s, Rome.

From Project Gutenberg

In 1804 he had succeeded Guglielmi as Maestro di Cappella of the Sistine Chapel in Rome.

From Project Gutenberg

Here he quickly began to display an extraordinary talent and precocity, his first musical training being received at the hands of Antonio Ripa, and continued under Juan Almarcha, who succeeded Ripa as Maestro di Cappella at the cathedral.

From Project Gutenberg

Some eighteen months later, just before the Garcia family left for Paris, he succeeded Paisiello as Maestro di Cappella at the Neapolitan Cathedral; and these two positions he continued to hold until his death at the age of eighty-five.

From Project Gutenberg