Alessandro Melani (1639-1703) was the youngest of seven brothers, all but one of whom were musicians. He served as maestro di cappella at three cathedrals, including that of Pistoia, his home town, before being appointed to Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome. Five years later, in 1672, he moved to San Luigi dei Francesi, where he remained until his death. He was a prolific composer of Masses, motets, cantatas, oratorios and operas: L’empio punito (1669) is, according to The New Grove Dictionary, the earliest opera on the subject of Don Juan.

Three published volumes of sacred music survive but most of his output remains in manuscript. Some of the pieces recorded here come from the archives of Santa Maria Maggiore: when Melani ceased to be maestro di cappella he was put in charge of the separate musical establishment of the Borghese family chapel within the church.

The Litanie per la Beata Vergine contains parts for all nine singers of the chapel choir. The tutti is divided into two groups: much chordal writing, but there are also continuo-accompanied solo passages by way of contrast. Ave regina and Laudate pueri are very different, featuring a solo soprano with a lesser role for the choir. The roulades inthe latter two pieces are in evidence elsewhere. They occur in all the voices in De necessitatibus, one of three motets from Melani’s Op 2, published in 1673. Ad arma, cor meum, a duet for soprano and bass, includes a phrase reminiscent of “We wish you a merry Christmas”. Melani is a find: all credit to Rinaldo Alessandrini for rediscovering himand for securing performances of real brilliance from Concerto Italiano.