Cristofano Malvezzi, son of the organist and organ builder Niccoló Malvezzi, probably received his musical training from his father. He became a ''canonico soprannumerario'' in 1562 and a regular canon at San Lorenzo in Florence from 1572. From 1571, he succeeded Francesco Corteccia and Giovanni Piero Manenti as chapel master at the Baptistery of San Giovanni, which was under the musical administration of the de Medici family. In 1574, he took over his father's position as organist at San Lorenzo. From 1586, he was also employed at the Medici court for the composition of intermedia. For example, he wrote many movements of the intermedia for La pellegrina performed in Florence in 1589 on the occasion of the wedding of Ferdinando I de' Medici to Christine of Lorraine. Like his father and later his brother, he was buried in the church of San Lorenzo[1].
In addition to several madrigals and other works, he created the so-called intermedia (musical interludes during theatrical performances), early precursors of opera, and a book of four-part ricercari (Il primo libro de ricercari, Perugia 1577).
