(baptized April 18, 1605, Marino, near Rome
died Jan. 12, 1674, Rome) Italian composer.
He worked as maestro di cappella at the Collegio Germanico in Rome, a musically important post at a notable Jesuit institution, from 1629 until his death. His approximately 15 oratorios (performed in place of operas during Lent), including Baltazar , Ezechia , Jephte , Jonas , and Judicium extremum made him the principal oratorio composer of the mid-17th century. He also wrote some 150 cantatas and nearly 100 motets.