Antonio Bertali was an Italian violinist and composer whose career was based in Vienna in the middle of the 17th century. He was one of the most famous performers in Vienna and was highly influential as Kapellmeister to the imperial court. He was born in Verona, Italy in 1605, and not much else is known about his earliest years. His birthdate was determined by a portrait painted in 1664, which contained an inscription that described his age as 59 years and 7 months. Bertali received his first musical instruction from Stefano Bernardi, who was the Kapellmeister at the Verona Cathedral. In the mid-1620s, he moved to Vienna and began a long appointment at the imperial court. In 1631, Bertali became responsible for composing the music for Emperor Ferdinand III's marriage and for other important royal occasions thereafter. Some of these works include the cantata Donna real from 1631, the Missa Ratisbonensis from 1636, and the 1637 Requiem pro Ferdinando II. By this time, he was one of the top violinists in Vienna, and over the next 15 years, he became equally respected as a composer. His rapidly expanding catalog of sacred works included operas, oratorios, and other vocal and chamber music. In 1649, he was promoted to Kapellmeister of the court, which was one of the top professional music posts in Vienna, and it gave him considerable influence over the musical community. He used his position of authority to promote opera performance and composition. This brought a large increase in performances within the royal courts, to the benefit of many Viennese musicians and composers. Bertali composed in a style that was highly influenced by the traditions of Northern Italy, and he was mentioned along with Monteverdi and Cavalli in Christoph Bernhard's 1657 publication that described the "luxuriant" Northern Italian style. He served as Kapellmeister until his death in 1669 in Vienna. Although much of his catalog has not survived, he composed over 2,000 works. ~ RJ Lambert, Rovi