Federicus [Federigo] Donato [Donatus, Donati] {Pius V}
Bass; Urbino; in the Cathedral of Urbino, 1555; admitted 20 February 1567; mandati : March 1567-December 1570; in Santa Maria Maggiore, December 1610-December 1611 [?].
Donato's absence from the mandati lists after 1570 was apparently the result of a legitimate leave. In May 1572 he returned to Rome, and the singers and maestro di cappella duly approved his reinstatement at his old position of seniority. This was, however, overruled in October 1572 by Pope Gregory XIII who refused to let Donato and another returning singer Nicolaus Barono (seeBarono) return to the choir, decreeing that the choir could not exceed 24 members, although he did agree to grant Donato a monthly pension of 5 ducats (the records of the Thesauraria Secreta show that Donato received this pension in 1573, 1574, and 1575). On 24 February 1573, Donato asked the singers for permission to supplement his pension by working at another church in Rome or elsewhere, pointing to the examples of two other singers who had been placed on pensions: Stefano Bettini [Fornarino] (who had gone to San Petronio in Bologna--see Bettini) and Palestrina (who had gone to San Giovanni in Laterano--see Palestrina). Donato may have at that time joined the choir of Santa Maria Maggiore, for it is just possible that he is the Federicus Donati who was a bass singer in that choir in 1610 and who filled in as maestro di cappella in that year.
DOCUMENTS
DS 8
12r: entry dated 20 February 1567
Eodem die fuit receptus in cantorem d. Federicus Donatus de urbino per magistro et cantoribus more solito.
Die jovis 20 februarii fuit receptus in cantorem d. Federicus Donatus presente magistro et mayori parti cantorum mori solito, die sabati 22 cuiusdem solvit ducatos xii pro suo jocundo introitu.
DS 9
129v: entry dated 8 May 1572
Eodem die d. Federcus Donatus bassus urbinaten venit Rome et de mandato R.di p.d. magistri cappelle et de consensu dd cantorum colle S.mi fuit admissus in loco suo iuxta constitutionis et ordinationis eiusdem capelle ab antico inconcusse oberservata et non participat de regalia sedie vacante.
DS 10
7r: entry dated 14 October 1572
In congregatione fuerunt deputati dd decanus et J.o Aluysius et Christianus Ameyden ad informandam S.mus d.n. super admissione facta de dd. Nicolao Barone et Federico Donato in eorum loco, super eo quod D.mus thesaurarius nolebat eos admittere in mandato provisionis cantorum mensis octobris.
Die mercurii 15 deputati retulerunt in congregatio quale S.mi d.n. nollebat in capella nisi cantores existentes in capella tempore fe. re. Pii 5ti et quod non excedat numerorum 24 cantorum et quod de cetero non admitantur in capella cantores nisi iuxta forma statuta capelle.
Eadem die ad instantia dd. Aug.ti Martini et Ant.o Vimercato fuit vocatus R.dus d. decanus capelle per parte S.mi super eo quod dubitabatur ea esse exclusos attento quod non fuerunt admissi tempore Pii 5ti et fuisse admissos sine examine inscio S.mo
Eadem die R.dus d. decanus retulit esse mente sue S.tis dd. Augustinus et Ant.o essent cantores sue capelle et non esse mentis sue d. Nicolao Baronum esse cantor sue capelle et que ad d. Federicum comiteret R.p.d. datario quod daretur sibi recompenso idonea attento quod excedebat numerorum 24 cantores.
21r: entry dated 24 February 1573
Eodem die congregatis dominis cantoribus cum R.d d. patri d magistro capelle in Capella Paulina d. Federicus de Urbino presentavit se in dicta congregatione et retulit qualiter S.mus n.r papa Gregorius xiii ad preces d. magistri et dd. cantorum fecit sibi consignare pro ispsius recompensa pro quolibet mense scuta quinque auri et que dictus d. Federicus recognovit istud beneficium esse a d. magistro et dd cantoribus egit gratias, et dixit istud salarium non sufficeret pro sua sustentatione rogavit dd dictos ut darent sibi licentiam quod possit inservire in alia ecclesia sive in urbe sive extra, et visis dd cantoribus et d. R.do patri magistro quod petitio [?]...erat iusta et quod alias cantoribus fuit concessa ut fuit d. Fornarinus et f. Joannes de Pedestrino et aliis, dederunt licentiam ut petiit ut deus.
BIBLIOGRAPHY: CELANI, p. 757; LIGI, Bramante. "La Cappella Musicale del Duomo d'Urbino." Note d'Archivio 2 (1925): 51; BURKE, John. Musicians of S. Maria Maggiore Rome, 1600-1700: A Social and Economic Study. Note d'Archvio, nuova serie Anno II (1984), Supplemento, p. 109.