Thomas [Tomasso] Benigni {Gregory XIII-Paul V}
Alto; Rome; born 1548; formerly in the Cappella Giulia (May 1566 -February 1572 and December 1572 -February 1584) ; admitted 21 February 1584; mandati : March 1584 -November 1586 ; DS lists of 1587-1590 ; died in Rome on 6 September 1616 at the age of 68 (according to his epitaph; 11 October 1616 , according to VatS 615, p. 182 and CELANI) and was buried in Santa Lucia del Gonfalone; punctator in 1589 ; maestro di cappella in 1599 .
Benigni was the editor of Il Quarto Libro delle Muse a cinque voci composto da diversi eccellentissimi musici ... intitolato benigni spirti (Venice: Gardano, 1574). He also took part in the Florentine Intermedii of 1589. He got into some trouble in the papal chapel in 1585 when he was accused of plotting to have Palestrina made maestro di cappella, but unlike other singers who were apparently dismissed outright because of this (see Conforti, Jacomelli , Alessandro Merlo , Augustino Martini), Benigini was merely given a fine that was then remitted when he pleaded his innocence.
CELANI gives the following inscription concerning Benigni and his parents:
D.O.M./BAPTISTAE DE BENIGNIS CIV. ROM./GISMUNDAE DE VALENTINIS/CONIUGI CARISSIMAE QUAE SICUT/CUM VIRO PER ANNOS LX/IN PACE CONIUXIT ITA IN/MORTE SEPARARI NON DECUIT/OBIERE INTER ANN. MDLXXXV/THOMAS DE BENIGNIS FILIUS/SUMM. PONTIF. CAPELL./CANTOR PARENTIB. OPTIM. SIBQ. VIVENS ET SUIS/X MEN. IAN. AN. D. MDCXVI POS./VIX ANN. LXVIII M. VIII. D. XX/OBIIT VII. ID. SEPTEMBER/MDCXVI
DOCUMENTS
DS 13
7v: entry dated 21 February 1584
Hoc mane post vesperas R.mus D.ns Ant.s Buccapadulius magister capelle congregationem petiit, et de novo proposuit D. Thomam Benignum, et ex consensu maioris partis fecit illum vocare quia erat in Sancto Petro et quia cantores iudicarunt ipsum esse idoneum propter servitium cappelle hac de causa induit ei superpellicium, omnes presentes preter d. Aloysium decanum
D. Alexandrum Merulum
D. Jo. Mariam Naninum
D. Sottum
D.nm Benedictum
D.nm Jacobum Albanum infirmitatis causa defuerunt in supradicta admittione.
8r: entry dated 23 February 1584
Hac mane D.ns Thomas Benignus solvit suum introitum.
DS 14, fols. 12v-13r: entry dated 19 May 1585
Sacris peractis cantoribus omnibus iubenti decano Petro Bartholomucio congregatis, fuit expositum qualiter Ill.is ac R.am D. magister cappelle die jovis proximo preterito cantores congregavit illis significano qualiter veritas se habet quod D. Jo. Prenestinensis locum magistri capelle inter cantores papales maxima cum instantia quod querebat nonullis faventibus et presertim D.no Thomasio Benignis, qui iuxta omnium cantorum consensu ibidem existentium vigore talii suspitionis fuit ordinatum ut mulctaretur sicut fuit mulctatus in scutis novem a conditione tamen apposita quod si in futurm clarius de veritate constaret maiori poena etiam cappelle officio afficiet.
14r: entry dated 3 June 1585
Sacris peractis Ill.stris ac R.dus D. M.r cappelle congregatis cantoribus egit de multa imposita D. Thomasio ex causa suspitionis de consilio seu favore prestito erga D. Jo. Prenestinensem offitium M. cappelle perquerentem et cum veritas aliter se habeat ductum D. Thomasium tamquam huius suspitionis criminis innocentem excusavit et de pena illi imposita gratiam postulavit et DD cantores ut Ill.stri D. M.o cappelle morem gererent et veritati parerent dictam multam nemine discrepante remiserunt.
BIBLIOGRAPHY: CELANI , p. 760; ROSTIROLLA , Giancarlo. "La Cappella Giulia in San Pietro negli anni del magistero di Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina." In Francesco Luisi, ed. Atti del Convegno di Studi Palestriniani (Palestrina: Fondazione Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina), 1977, p. 243.