Ruggiero Fedeli

Born: 1655
Died: 1722
Education: He was a violist in theater orchs. in Venice
Career: Kapellmeister in Kassel in 1700, a post he held until 1702.

singer, instrumentalist, and composer; b. Venice, c. 1655; d. Kassel, Jan. 1722. He was a violist in theater orchs. in Venice, and then at the basilica of San Marco (1669–74), where he subsequently was a bass in its choir (1674–77). He then settled in Germany and was active in many court and theater establishments. In 1691 he was a composer at the Berlin court chapel. He became Kapellmeister in Kassel in 1700, a post he held until 1702. In 1708 he was named court composer and conductor in Berlin, but in 1709 he returned to Kassel as Kapellmeister. His deft handling of vocal writing in his opera Almira (Braunschweig), his cantatas, and his sacred works helped to shape the course of German composition.