Giovanni Battista Mazzaferrata

(b Como or Pavia;d?Ferrara, 26 Feb 1691). Italian composer. He held posts as maestro di cappella at Vercelli Cathedral, at the Accademia della Morte and cathedral in Ferrara, and may have worked in Tuscany. One of the most individual composers of his day, he wrote sacred cantatas and madrigals as well as a notable set of sonatas (1674) whose light, fluent style foreshadows that of the early Classical period.