Daily entries from the 17th century London diary
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Vincenzo Albrici [Albricci]
(1631-1690/96) Italian musician. Albrici was born in Rome in 1631, into a musical family that originated in Senigallia, in the province of Ancona….Albrici was educated by Jesuit priests at the Roman Collegio Germanico in the early 1640s, where he sang as a choirboy under the famed maestro di cappella, Giacomo Carissimi (1605-74). Among many positions he was co-Kapellmeister in Dresden to Crown Prince Johann Georg II (1613-80) of Saxony, which proved to be his longest anywhere, and totaled about fifteen years (1656-63, 1669-73, 1676-80).In August 1663, Albrici and his brother left Dresden for London, and entered the service of King Charles II, where they remained until 1668. Little is known of Albrici’s musical activities during these years. He does appear, however, in the chronicles of the celebrated English diarist, Samuel Pepys. In February 1667, Pepys reported a conversation with Giovanni Battista Draghi, who told him that Albrici was the “chief composer” of the Italians then in the employ of Charles II. Several days later, Pepys reported hearing “Italian musique” at the home of Lord Bruckner, performed by “Seignor Vincentio” [Albrici] … the maister composer,” and six other musicians, including two castrati and one woman (probably Albrici’s half-sister, Leonora). Pepys waxed enthusiastic in his account of the evening: “and I confess, very good music they made; that is, the composition was exceeding good.”
Albrici seems to have returned to Dresden with two English diplomats in April 1669, in order to direct the music at Johann Georg’s induction into the English Order of the Garter
http://www.hoasm.org/VIIA/AlbriciV.html