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Biography
redirect|Monteverdi Claudio Giovanni Antonio Monteverdi (IPA-it|'klaudjo monte'verdi; 15 May 1567 (baptized) – 29 November 1643) was an Italian composer, viol|gambist , and singer.
Monteverdi's work, often regarded as revolutionary, marked the transition from the Renaissance music|Renaissance style of music to that of the Baroque music|Baroque period.Halsey, William D., ed. ''Collier's Encyclopedia . Vol. 16. New York: MacMillan Educational Company, 1991.Citation needed|date=December 2008 He developed two individual styles of composition – the heritage of Renaissance polyphony and the new basso continuo technique of the Baroque.Ringer, Mark. Opera's First Master: The Musical Dramas of Claudio Monteverdi . Canada: Amadeus Press, 2006.Page needed|date=December 2008 Monteverdi wrote one of the earliest operas, L'Orfeo , an innovative work that is still regularly performed. He was recognized as an innovative composer and enjoyed considerable fame in his lifetime.
Life
Claudio Monteverdi was born in 1567 in Cremona , a town in Northern Italy. His father was Baldassare Monteverdi, a doctor, apothecary and surgeon.Halsey, William D., ed. ''Collier's Encyclopedia . Vol. 16 New York: MacMillan Educational Company, 1991. He was the oldest of five children.Redlich, H. F. Claudio Monteverdi: Life and Work''. London: Oxford University Press , 1952, Page needed|date=December 2008. During his childhood, he was taught by Marc'Antonio Ingegneri ,Redlich, H. F. Claudio Monteverdi: Life and Work . London: Oxford University Press, 1952. the maestro di cappella at the Cathedral of Cremona .Schrade, Leo. Monteverdi: Creator of Modern Music . New York: W. W. Norton & Company , 1950, Page needed|date=February 2009. The Maestro di capella’s job was to conduct important worship services in accordance with the liturgy books of the Catholic Church.Whenham, John, ed. The Cambridge Companion to Monteverdi . Cambridge: Cambridge University Press , 2007, Page needed|date=December 2008. Monteverdi learned about music by being part of the cathedral choir.Schrade, Leo. Monteverdi: Creator of Modern Music . New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1950, Page needed|date=December 2008. He also studied at the University of Cremona. His first music was written for publication, including some motet s and sacred madrigal (music)|madrigals , in 1582 and 1583. His first five publications were: Sacrae cantiunculae , 1582 (collection of miniature motets); Madrigali Spirituali , 1583 (a volume of which only the bass partbook is extant); Canzonette a tre voci , 1584 (a collection of three-voice canzonettes); and the five-part madrigals Book I, 1587, and Book II, 1590. Monteverdi worked for the court of Mantua first as a singer and violist, then as music director.Kamien Roger, An Appreciation of Music 4th brief edition . Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2002, Page needed|date=December 2008. He worked at the court of Vincenzo I of Gonzaga in Mantua as a vocalist and viol player.Cayne, Bernard S., ed. Encyclopedia Americana Deluxe Library Edition . Vol. 19. Danbury: Grolier Incorporated, 1990. In 1602, he was working as the court conductor.
In 1599 Monteverdi married the court singer Claudia Cattaneo,Whenham, John, and Richard Wistreich, eds. The Cambridge Companion to Monteverdi . Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2007. who died in September 1607.Whenham, John, and Richard Wistreich, eds. The Cambridge Companion to Monteverdi . Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2007, Page needed|date=December 2008. He and his wife had two boys (Francesco and Massimilino) and one girl (Leonora) – another daughter died shortly after birth.Ringer, Mark. ''Opera's First Master: The Musical Dramas of Claudio Monteverdi . Canada: Amadeus Press, 2006, Page needed|date=December 2008.
By 1613, he had moved to the San Marco di Venezia|San Marco in Venice where, as conductor,Redlich, H. F. Claudio Monteverdi: Life and Work . London: Oxford University Press, 1952, Page needed|date=December 2008. he quickly restored the musical standard of both the choir and the instrumentalists. The musical standard had declined due to the financial mismanagement of his predecessor, Giulio Cesare Martinengo . The managers of the basilica were relieved to have such a distinguished musician in charge, as the music had been declining since the death of Giovanni Croce in 1609.
In 1632, he became a priest.Marthaler, Benard L., ed. New Catholic Encyclopedia 2nd ed. Detroit: Thomson Gale, 2003Citation needed|date=December 2008 L'incoronazione'' especially is considered a culminating point of Monteverdi's work. It contains tragic, romantic, and comic scenes (a new development in opera), a more realistic portrayal of the characters, and warmer melody|melodies than previously heard.Arnold, Denis, and Nigel Fortune, eds. The New Monteverdi Companion . London: faber and faber, 1985, Page needed|date=December 2008. It requires a smaller orchestra, and has a less prominent role for the choir. For a long period of time, Monteverdi's operas were merely regarded as a historical or musical interest. Since the 1960s, The Coronation of Poppea has re-entered the repertoire of major opera companies worldwide.
Monteverdi died in Venice on 29 November 1643 and was buried at the church of the Frari .Halsey, William D., ed. ''Collier's Encyclopedia . Vol. 16.. New York: MacMillan Educational Company, 1991.
Works
Monteverdi's works are split into three categories: madrigals, operas, and church-music.Redlich, H. F. Claudio Monteverdi: Life and Work . London: Oxford University, Press, 1952, Page needed|date=December 2008.
Madrigals
listen| filename = Monteverdi-cor mio mentre vi miro.ogg | title = Cor mio mentre vi miro | description = | format = Ogg | filename2 = Monteverdi - non si levav'ancor.ogg | title2 = Non si levav'ancor | description2 = | format2 = Ogg | filename3 = Monteverdi_-_Lamento_della_Ninfa.ogg | title3 = Lamento della Ninfa from Madrigali Guerrieri et Amorosi | description3 = Live recording | format3 = Ogg Until the age of forty, Monteverdi worked primarily on Madrigal (music)|madrigals , composing a total of nine books. It took Monteverdi about four years to finish his first book of twenty-one madrigals for five voices.Schrade, Leo. Monteverdi: Creator of Modern Music . New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1950. As a whole, the first eight books of madrigals show the enormous development from Renaissance music|Renaissance polyphony|polyphonic music to the monody|monodic style typical of Baroque music.
Book 1, 1587: Madrigali a cinque voci Shcrade, Leo. Monteverdi: Creator of Modern Music . New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1950, Page needed|date=December 2008.
Book 2, 1590: Il secondo libro de madrigali a cinque voci
Book 3, 1592: Il terzo libro de madrigali a cinque voci Halsey, William D., ed. ''Collier's Encyclopedia . Vol. 16. New York: MacMillan Educational Company, 1991.
Book 4, 1603: Il quarto libro de madrigali a cinque voci
Book 5, 1605: Il quinto libro de madrigali a cinque voci
Book 6, 1614: Il sesto libro de madrigali a cinque voci Arnold, Denis. Monteverdi Madrigals . London: Billing and Sons Limited, 1967.
Book 7, 1619: Concerto. Settimo libro di madrigali Arnold, Denis. Monteverdi Madrigals . London: Billing and Sons Limited, 1967, Page needed|date=December 2008.
Book 8, 1638: Madrigali guerrieri, et amorosi con alcuni opuscoli in genere rappresentativo, che saranno per brevi episodi fra i canti senza gesto. Schrade, Leo. Monteverdi: Creator of Modern Music . New York: W. W. Norton & Company 1950, Page needed|date=December 2008.
Book 9, 1651: Madrigali e canzonette a due e tre voci
listen |filename= Monteverdi - cruda amarilli.ogg |title= Cruda Amarilli |description= |format= Ogg The Fifth Book of Madrigals shows the shift from the late Renaissance style of music to the early Baroque.Ringer, Mark. ''Opera's First Master: The Musical Dramas of Claudio Monteverdi . Canada: Amadeus Press, 2006. The Quinto Libro (Fifth Book), published in 1605, was at the heart of the controversy between Monteverdi and Giovanni Artusi . Artusi attacked the "crudities" and "license" of the modern style of composing, centering his attacks on madrigals (including Cruda Amarilli , composed around 1600) (See Fabbri, Monteverdi , p.& nbsp;60) from the fourth book. Monteverdi made his reply in the introduction to the fifth book, with a proposal of the division of musical practice into two streams, which he called prima prattica , and seconda prattica . Prima prattica was described as the previous polyphony|polyphonic ideal of the sixteenth century, with flowing strict counterpoint , prepared Consonance and dissonance|dissonance , and equality of voices. Seconda prattica used much freer counterpoint with an increasing hierarchy of voices, emphasizing soprano and Bass (voice type)|bass . In Prima Prattica the harmony controls the words. In Seconda Prattica the words should be in control of the harmonies. This represented a move towards the new style of monody . The introduction of figured bass|continuo in many of the madrigals was a further self-consciously modern feature. In addition, the fifth book showed the beginnings of conscious functional tonality.
While in Venice, Monteverdi also finished his sixth (1614), seventh (1619), and eighth (1638) books of madrigals. The eighth is the largest, containing works written over a thirty-year period. Originally the work was to be dedicated to Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor|Ferdinand II , but because of his ill health, his son was made king in December 1636. When the work was first published in 1638 Monteverdi rededicated it to the new King Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor|Ferdinand III .Denis Arnold and Nigel Fortune , Editors. The New Monteverdi Companion. (Boston: Faber and Faber Ltd., 1985), 233. The eighth book includes the so-called Madrigali dei guerrieri et amorosi ( Madrigals of War and Love ).
The important preface of Monteverdi’s eighth madrigal book seems to be connected with his seconda prattica . He claims to have invented a new “agitated” style ( Genere concitato , later called Stile concitato ). Gerald Drebes: ‘‘Monteverdis „Kontrastprinzip“, die Vorrede zu seinem 8. Madrigalbuch und das „Genere concitato“.‘‘ In: ‘‘Musiktheorie‘‘, Jg. 6, 1991, S. 29-42 online: http://www.gerald-drebes.de/8.html
The book is divided into sections of War and Love each containing madrigals, a piece in dramatic form ( genere rappresentativo ), and a ballet. In the Madrigals of War, Monteverdi has organized poetry that describes the pursuits of love through the allegory of war; the hunt for love, and the battle to find love. In the second half of the book, the Madrigals of Love, Monteverdi organized poetry that describes the unhappiness of being in love, unfaithfulness, and ungrateful lovers that feel no shame. In his previous madrigal collections, Monteverdi usually set poetry from one or two poets he was in contact with through the court where he was employed. The Book 8 Madrigals of War and Love represent an overview of the poets he has dealt with throughout his life; the classical poetry of Petrarch, poetry by his contemporaries ( Torquato Tasso|Tasso , Giovanni Battista Guarini|Guarini , Giambattista Marino|Marino , Ottavio Rinuccini|Rinuccini , Fulvio Testi|Testi and Giulio Strozzi|Strozzi ), or anonymous poets that Monteverdi found and adapted to his needs.
Madrigals of War # Altri canti d’Amor tenero arciero (Let others sing of Love, the tender archer) anonymous sonnet ## is preceded by a sinfonia introduction that is written for two violins and four viols. The madrigal that follows serves as an introduction to the first half of the collection and as a dedication to Ferdinand III. # Hor che’l ciel e la terra e’l vento tace ( Now that the sky, earth and wind are silent ) Sonnet by Petrarch , ## is the first significant poetic work of the collection in which Monteverdi splits into two sections. In the first section, his poetry introduces the idea of the wars of love, in which he yearns for someone to love him. ### " War is my condition full of anger and grief, and only when thinking of her do I find some peace. " ### In the second section, " Thus from a single bright and living fountain " ( Cosi sol d’una chiara fonte viva ) the symbolism of war continues: #### " One hand alone cures me and wounds me. And, because my suffering never reaches its limits, a thousand times daily I die, and a thousand I am born, so far am I from my salvation. " # Gira il nemico insidioso Amore (The insidious enemy, Love, circles the citadel of my heart) canzonetta by Giulio Strozzi|Strozzi # Se vittorie si belle han le guerre d’amore (If love’s wars have such beautiful victories) madrigal by Fulvio Testi|Testi # Armato il cor d’adamanina fede (My heart armed with adamantine faith) madrigal by Ottavio Rinuccini|Rinuccini # Ogni amante e guerrier: nel suo gran regno (Every lover is a warrior: in his great kingdom) madrigal by Ottavio Rinuccini|Rinuccini # Ardo, avvampo, mi struggo, ardo: accorrete (I burn, I blaze, I am consumed, I burn; come running) anonymous sonnet # Il Combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda (The Combat of Tancredi and Clorinda) from Torquato Tasso|Tasso ’s Gerusalemme liberata , Canto XII ## was originally composed and performed at the home of Girolamo Mocenigo (1624)Paolo Fabbri , Monteverdi , translated from the Italian by Tim Carter (Cambridge and New York: Cambridge University Press, 1994), 238–39. and includes the dramatic scene in which the orchestra and voices form two separate entities, acting as counterparts. Most likely Monteverdi was inspired to try this arrangement because of the two opposite balconies in San Marco. What made this composition also stand out is the first-time use of string tremolo (fast repetition of the same tone) and pizzicato (plucking strings with fingers) for special effect in dramatic scenes. # Introduzione al ballo e ballo: Volgendo il ciel (Introduction to the ballet, and ballet) sonnet by Ottavio Rinuccini|Rinuccini
Madrigals of Love # Altri canti di Marte e di sua schiera (Let others sing of Mars and of his host) sonnet by Giambattista Marino|Marino ## the parallel work to Altri canti d amor , it serves as an introduction to the second half of the collection. Like its counterpart, it, too, is preceded by an instrumental sinfonia and contains a dedication to Ferdinand III. # Vago augelletto che cantando vai (Lovely little bird, who are you singing about) sonnet by Petrarch # Mentre vaga angioletta (While a charming, angelic girl attracts every wellborn soul with her singing) madrigal by Giovanni Battista Guarini|Guarini # Ardo e scoprir, ahi lasso, io non ardisco (I burn and, alas, I do not have the courage to reveal that burning which I bear hidden in my breast) anonymous madrigal # O sia tranquillo il mare o pien d’orgoglio (Whether the sea be still or swelled with pride) anonymous sonnet # Ninfa che, scalza il piede e sciolto il crine (Nymph, who with bare feet and hair undone) anonymous madrigal # Dolcissimo uscignolo (Sweetest nightingale) madrigal by Giovanni Battista Guarini|Guarini # Chi vol haver felice e lieto il core (Whoever wishes to have a happy joyful heart) madrigal by Giovanni Battista Guarini|Guarini # Non Havea Febo ancora: Lamento della ninfa (Phoebus had not yet: The Lament of the Nymph) canzonetta by Ottavio Rinuccini|Rinuccini # Perche te n fuggi, o Fillide? (Why do you run away, Phyllis? ) anonymous madrigal # Non partir, ritrosetta (Do not depart, maiden averse to love) anonymous canzonetta # Su, Su, Su, pastorelli vezzosi (Come, come, come, charming shepherd lads) anonymous canzonetta # Il Ballo delle ingrate (Entrance and Final ballet of the Ungrateful Women) ## The Ballet of the Ungrateful Women was originally composed for the 1608 wedding of Francesco Gonzaga and was revived in 1628 for a performance in Vienna.Paolo Fabbri , Monteverdi , translated by Tim Carter (Cambridge and New York: Cambridge University Press, 1994), 238–39.
The ninth book of madrigals, published posthumously in 1651, contains lighter pieces such as canzonetta s which were probably composed throughout Monteverdi's lifetime representing both styles.
Operas
Main|L'Orfeo|L'Arianna|Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria|L'incoronazione di Poppea
L'Orfeo
Monteverdi composed at least eighteen operas, but only ''L'Orfeo , Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria , L'incoronazione di Poppea , and the famous aria , Lamento , from his second opera L'Arianna have survived. From monody (with melodic lines, intelligible text and placid accompanying music), it was a logical step for Monteverdi to begin composing opera. In 1607, the premiere of his first opera, L'Orfeo , took place in Mantua. L'Orfeo was not the first opera, but the first mature opera, or one that realized all of its potential.Whenham, John. Claudio Monteverdi Orfeo . Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1986, Page needed|date=December 2008. It was normal at that time for composers to create works on demand for special occasions, and this piece was part of the ducal celebrations of carnival .Whenham, John. Claudio Monteverdi Orfeo . Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1986,Page needed|date=December 2008. (Monteverdi was later to write for the first opera houses supported by ticket sales which opened in Venice). L'Orfeo has dramatic power and lively orchestration . L'Orfeo is arguably the first example of a composer assigning specific instruments to parts in operas. It is also one of the first large compositions in which the exact instrumentation of the premiere has come down to us.Whenham, John. Claudio Monteverdi Orfeo . Cambridge: Cambrdige University Press, 1986, Page needed|date=December 2008. The plot is described in vivid musical pictures and the melodies are linear and clear. With this opera, Monteverdi created an entirely new style of music, the dramma per la musica or musical drama.
L'Arianna
listen |filename= Monteverdi_Lamento_d_Arianna_sung_by_the_dwsChorale.ogg |title= ''Lamento d'Arianna |description = |format= Ogg L'Arianna was the second opera written by Claudio Monteverdi. It is one of the most influential and famous specimens of early baroque opera. It was first performed in Mantua in 1608. Its subject matter was the ancient Greek legend of Ariadne and Theseus. During the last years of his life, Monteverdi was often ill. During this time, he composed his two last masterpieces: Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria ( The Return of Ulysses , 1640), and the historic opera, L'incoronazione di Poppea , ( The Coronation of Poppea , 1642),Redlich, H. F. Claudio Monteveri: Life and Work . London: Oxford University Press, 1952. based on an episode in the life of the Roman empire|Roman emperor Nero . The libretto for Il ritorno d'Ulisse was by Giacomo Badoarro and for L'incoronazione di Poppea by Giovanni Busenello.Halsey, William D., ed. Collier's Encyclopedia . Vol. 16. New York: MacMillan Educational Company 1991.
Sacred music
Main|Vespro della Beata Vergine 1610|Selva morale e spirituale
listen |filename= Deus in adiutorium.ogg |title= Deus in adiutorium , from Vespro della Beata Vergine |description= |format= Ogg |filename2= Laudate pueri.ogg |title2= Laudate pueri , from Vespro della Beata Vergine |description2= |format2= Ogg Monteverdi's first church music publication was the archaic Mass (music)|Mass In illo tempore to which the Vesper Psalms of 1610 were added. The Vesper Psalms of 1610 are also one of the best examples of early repetition and contrast, with many of the parts having a clear ritornello . The published work is on a very grand scale and there has been some controversy as to whether all the movements were intended to be performed in a single service. However, there are various indications of internal unity. In its scope, it foreshadows such summits of Baroque music as George Frideric Handel|Handel 's Messiah (Handel)|Messiah , and Johann Sebastian Bach|J.S. Bach 's St Matthew Passion . Each part (there are twenty-five in total) is fully developed in both a musical and dramatic sense – the instrumental textures are used to precise dramatic and emotional effect, in a way that had not been seen before.
Messa in illo tempore (1610)
Mass of Thanksgiving (1631) http://www.gramophone.net/Issue/Page/November%201989/138/766560/MONTEVERDI.+Mass+of+Thanksgiving,+Venice+1631.+Taverner+Consort+Taverner+Choir+Taverner+Players++Andrew+Parrott.+EMI+Reflexe+%28E%29+CDS7+498762+%28two+discs,+nas%3A+88+minutes%3A+DOD%29.+Texts+and+translations+included.+Monteverdi%3A+Mass+a+4%E2%80%94Kyrie+Credo+%28Crucifixus+Et+resurrexit+Et+iterum+only%29+Sanctus+Agnus+Dei.+Gloria+a+7.+Ab+aeterno+ordinate+sum+%28Richard+Wistreich,+bass%29.+Salve+Regina+a+2+%28Joseph+Cornwell,+John+Mark+Ainsley,+tens%29.+Fantini%3A+Intrada,+Toccata+e+Sonata+Imperiale+I.+Sonata+lmperiale+II+e+Intrada.+Scarani%3A+Sonata+a+3.+Rovetta%3A+Credo+a+7+%28Et+in+spiritum+sanctum+only%29.+Usper%3A+Sonata+a+8.+Marini%3A+Canzon+quarta.+Plainsong+chant+for+the+Feast+of+S+Maria+della+salute. Mass of Thanksgiving Gramophone (magazine)|Gramophone
Messa a 4 da cappella (1641) (also: Missa in F ), part of Selva morale e spirituale
Messa a 4 v. et salmi a 1–8 v. e parte da cappella & con le litanie della B.V. (Mass for four voices, and Psalms ...) (published posthumously, 1650)
Other Works
Main|Il Combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda
Scherzi Musicali
Sacred contrafacta
In 1607, Aquilino Coppini published in Milan his "''Musica tolta da i Madrigali di Claudio Monteverde, e d'altri autori … e fatta spirituale''" for 5 and 6 voices, in which many of Monteverdi's madrigals (especially from the third, fourth and fifth books) are presented with the original secular texts replaced with sacred Latin contrafactum|contrafacta carefully prepared by Coppini in order to fit the music in every aspect.
See also
:Category:Compositions by Claudio Monteverdi|Compositions by Claudio Monteverdi
Arnold, Denis (1975). Monteverdi. London, J.M. Dent & Sons Ltd. ISBN 0-460-03155-4
Arnold, Denis, and Nigel Fortune (eds.) (1985) The New Monteverdi Companion . Boston: Faber and Faber Ltd. ISBN 978-0-571-13148-8
Carter, Tim (1992). Music in Late Renaissance and Early Baroque Italy . Amadeus Press, 1992. ISBN 0-931340-53-5
Cite book| last = Leopold | first = Silke | others = translated from the German by Anne Smith | title = Monteverdi: Music in Transition | year = 1991 | publisher=Clarendon Press & Oxford University Press| location = Oxford & New York| isbn = 0-19-315248-7
Cite book| last = Monteverdi | first = Claudio | others = ed. Denis Stevens | title = The Letters of Claudio Monteverdi
| year = 1980 | location = London | isbn = 0-521-23591-4 Please check ISBN|reason=Check digit (4) does not correspond to calculated figure.
Schrade, Leo (1979). Monteverdi . London, Victor Gollancz Ltd. ISBN 0-575-01472-5
Whenham, John, and Richard Wistreich (eds.) (2007). The Cambridge Companion to Monteverdi . Cambridge Companions to Music. Cambridge and New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-87525-0 (cloth) ISBN 0-521-69798-0 (pbk)
External links
Commons|Claudio Monteverdi|Claudio Monteverdi
http://sites.google.com/site/marshallcharles English translations of Monteverdi's fourth book of madrigals
http://bach.nau.edu/Monteverdi/Lauda.html Lauda Jerusalem from Vespro della Beata Vergine as interactive hypermedia at the http://bach.nau.edu/ BinAural Collaborative Hypertext
http://voicesofmusic.org/monteverdi.html Video of several works by Monteverdi performed on original instruments by the musical ensemble|ensemble Voices of Music using baroque instruments, ornamentation, temperaments, bows, and playing techniques.
https://sites.google.com/site/monteverdisidolce/ Score and audio files of an arrangement of Monteverdi's 'Si dolce e'l tormento'.
Cite Americana|Monteverde, Claudio|year=1920
Ilias Chrissochoidis, " http://www.bpmonline.org.uk/bpm6-artusi.htm The 'Artusi-Monteverdi' Controversy: Background, Content, and Modern Interpretations," British Postgraduate Musicology 6 (2004), online (general introduction suitable for undergraduates).
concerto delle donne Use dmy dates|date=August 2011
Persondata|NAME= Monteverdi, Claudio |ALTERNATIVE NAMES=Monteverdi, Claudio Giovanni Antoni |SHORT DESCRIPTION=talian composer, viol|gambist , and singer |DATE OF BIRTH=15 May 1567 (baptized) |PLACE OF BIRTH= Cremona |DATE OF DEATH=29 November 1643 |PLACE OF DEATH= Venice DEFAULTSORT:Monteverdi Category:Renaissance composers Category:Baroque composers Category:Italian composers Category:Opera composers Category:People from Cremona Category:1567 births Category:1643 deaths Category:Ballet composers Category:Madrigal composers Category:Italian music theorists
