 As a young man, he was employed by the Malatesa family in Pesaro, Italy, where he was commissioned to write many secular works. He later returned to church work and eventually became a member of the most famous musical establishment of the time, the Papal Choir. Dufayi had a long and successful career as a church musician and a composer of secular and sacred music. He was acknowledged by many of his contemporaries to be the leading composer of the day.