Now emerging as one of the most distinguished artists of the mid-seventeenth century Roman baroque period, Bonifazio Graziani served as maestro di cappella at the Jesuit Church in Rome. Graziani preferred the genre of the solo cantata for one, two, three, and four voices, much like his great contemporary, Giacomo Carissimi. The motets, or liturgical cantatas, from Musiche sagre e morali, are distinguished for their incredibly differing subject matter. The topics range from Lenten penitential and Advent themes to philosophies on the meaning of life, such as Mal'accorto pensier.