Giacomo Antonio Perti, born in Bologna on 6 June 1661, was an Italian composer and maestro di cappella whose career spanned the late Baroque. He received early instruction in singing, harpsichord, violin and counterpoint from his uncle Lorenzo Perti and later from Petronio Franceschini, producing his first motet and mass at age 17. In 1681, he entered the Accademia Filarmonica di Bologna, after which he travelled to Parma and Modena to refine his sacred style under Giuseppe Corsi da Celano. By 1690, he was appointed maestro di cappella at San Pietro, a position he held for 60 years, and in 1696 he succeeded Giovanni Paolo Colonna as maestro di cappella at San Petronio. Perti composed over 120 psalms, 54 motets, 28 masses and numerous cantatas, many of which were performed at the court of Prince Ferdinando de Medici between 1704 and 1709. He passed away on April 10, 1756.
