Giovanni Battista Riccio was born in Venice in 1563, where he remained active until at least 1620. The exact date of his death is unknown. Besides serving as organist at the church of San Nicolò dei Mendicoli between 1595 and 1600, Riccio appears to have worked mainly as a freelance musician, offering his services to various local patrons. Among them were the merchant Camillo Rubini, dedicatee of Riccio’s first book of sacred and instrumental music (reprinted in 1612, the first edition now lost), and Antonio Grimani, bishop of Torcello and patriarch-elect of Aquileia, to whom Riccio dedicated his second (1614) and third (1620) books.

From 1603, Riccio was a member of a company of organists led by Giovanni Gabrieli, formed to manage the distribution of engagements in Venetian churches and confraternities. Other members included Giampaolo Giusti, Giovanni Battista Grillo, Giovanni Picchi, Giovanni Priuli, Antonio Romanini, and Francesco Sponga Usper. Riccio’s participation in this group reflects his close connection with Gabrieli, whose influence can be clearly felt in his music.