carissimi

Carissimi is an Italian surname. The most notable bearer is Giacomo Carissimi (c. 1605–1674), an Italian Baroque composer who played a key role in the early development of the oratorio.

Born in Marino, near Rome, Carissimi spent most of his career in Roman musical circles as a composer and master of chapels and churches. He published and performed a large body of sacred vocal music, and he is widely regarded as one of the principal figures of the early Baroque era. His work helped codify the oratorio as a concerted, narrative sacred form that combined elements of aria, recitative, and choral writing without the theatrical staging typical of opera.

Carissimi’s best-known and most influential work is the Historia di Jephte (Jephtha), a landmark oratorio that exemplifies his dramatic approach to sacred storytelling. His innovations in vocal writing, dramatic dialogue through recitative, and use of expressive choruses had a lasting impact on the development of the genre. The reach of his influence extended beyond Italy, shaping the oratorio tradition and influencing later composers such as George Frideric Handel.

In modern reference, Carissimi remains primarily identified with Giacomo as a major figure of 17th-century sacred music, particularly for his contribution to the birth and maturation of the Baroque oratorio. The surname continues to appear in Italian genealogies and historical discussions of Baroque music.