(b Padua, c 1657; d Bergamo, 1 Oct 1716). Italian composer, violinist and organist. He held appointments, chiefly at Ferrara and Bergamo, where he was maestro di cappella from 1686. His church music forms an interesting link between Monteverdi's and that of later composers such as Vivaldi, Durante and Pergolesi. Bassani's fame rests on his trio sonatas for strings, but he was a prolific composer in most genres, writing nine operas and 15 oratorios. His sacred and secular cantatas are noteworthy, and in his masses and psalm settings he was an important exponent of the concertato style.
