Ludovico Balbi was born in Venice around 1545. He began his studies at the Minorite convent of ''S. Maria Gloriosa dei Frari'' at an early age and was so successful that he was allowed to visit his confrere Constanzo Porta in Padua more often. In 1565, he became a pupil of the great Italian composer Costanzo Porta. After completing his studies, Balbi joined the chapel of San Marco in Venice, directed by Gioseffo Zarlino, as a singer. From 1570 to 1578, Balbi sang at St. Mark's Basilica and was appointed chapel master of the monastery of S. Maria Glorioso del Frari. In 1582, Balbi turned down an offer to become maestro at Milan Cathedral and instead transferred one of his subordinates, which angered some high-ranking representatives of the Roman Church. In 1585, Balbi accepted the offer to become maestro of the ''Cappella Anotoniana'' in Padua, although he actually wanted to become maestro of Padua Cathedral. After moving to the cathedral of Feltre in 1593 and later to the cathedral of Treviso, he returned to S. Maria Glorioso del Frari until his death in 1604. Balbi was a respected musician in his time. His compositions include masses, motets, canzoni, madrigals and other works.
Source: MGG 1st edition and Wikipedia
