In Search of Giovanni Maria Ruggieri: recent archival research

Giovanni Maria Ruggieri is a rather obscure figure, whose biographical details are limited in extent. His settings of the Gloria, together with his worth as a composer have remained very much in the shadow of Vivaldi on account of the latter's borrowings from the Gloria in D, RV Anh. 23, for his own settings of the same text. This article presents the most recent findings on Ruggieri's biography, presenting further information that indicates he was indeed a "dilettante", who exercised various occupations distinct from music. It updates the current list of compositions listed in various secondary sources, as it has been discovered that a number of works have been incorrectly attributed to Ruggieri. The paper also includes new evidence which shows that he acted as impresario at the Teatro di San Cassiano in 1696, embezzled a large amount of money from an employer and also cites the date and rather surprising circumstances of his death. A destination for Ruggieri's Gloria in D is suggested, based on the collection of circumstantial information. The compositional chronology of the Ruggieri and Vivaldi Gloria settings is presented. Together with recenetly discovered further biographical evidence that links the two composers, this permits us to examine the "unknown" relationship between Ruggieri and Vivaldi and their works.