Carlo Alessandro Guidi (14 June 1650 – 12 June 1712), Italian lyric poet, was born at Pavia.

Biography

As chief founder of the well-known Roman

Academy of the Arcadians The Accademia degli Arcadi or Accademia dell'Arcadia, "Academy of Arcadia" or "Academy of the Arcadians", was an Italian literary academy founded in Rome in 1690. The full Italian official name was Pontificia Accademia degli Arcadi. History F ...

, he had a considerable share in the reform of Italian poetry, which at that time was dominated by the

baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

extravagance of the poets Giambattista Marini and

Claudio Achillini Claudio Achillini (''Latin'' Claudius Achillinus; 18 September 1574 – 1 October 1640) was an Italian philosopher, theologian, mathematician, poet, and jurist. He is a major figure in the history of Italian Baroque poetry. Biography Born in B ...

and their school. Guidi, Giovanni Mario Crescimbeni, and the critic and jurisconsult Gravina attempted to foster a straightfoward use of language. The genius of Guidi was lyric in the highest degree; his songs are written with singular force, and charm the reader, in spite of touches of bombast. His most celebrated song is that entitled ''Alla Fortuna'' (''To Fortune''), was a much admired work of poetry in the 17th century. Guidi was squint-eyed, humpbacked, and of a delicate constitution, but possessed undoubted literary ability. His poems were printed at Parma in 1671, and at Rome in 1704. In 1681 he published at Parma his lyric tragedy ''Amalasunta'' in Italy, and two pastoral dramas ''Daphne'' and ''Endymion''. The last had the honor of being mentioned as a model by the critic Gravina, in his treatise on poetry. Less fortunate was Guidi's poetical version of the six homilies of

Pope Clement XI Pope Clement XI ( la, Clemens XI; it, Clemente XI; 23 July 1649 – 19 March 1721), born Giovanni Francesco Albani, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 23 November 1700 to his death in March 1721. Clement XI w ...

, first as having been severely criticized by the satirist Settano, and next as having proved to be the indirect cause of the author's death. A splendid edition of this version had been printed in 1712, and the pope being then in

Castel Gandolfo Castel Gandolfo (, , ; la, Castrum Gandulphi), colloquially just Castello in the Castelli Romani dialects, is a town located southeast of Rome in the Lazio region of Italy. Occupying a height on the Alban Hills overlooking Lake Albano, Castel Ga ...

, Guidi went there to present him with a copy. On the way he found out a serious typographical error, which he took so much to heart that he was seized with a

stroke A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...

at Frascati and died on the spot. Guidi was honoured with the special protection of

Ranuccio II, duke of Parma Ranuccio II Farnese (17 September 1630 – 11 December 1694) was the sixth Duke of Parma and Piacenza from 1646 until his death nearly 50 years later and Duke of Castro from 1646 until 1649. Biography Birth and Succession Ranuccio was the eldes ...

, and of

Queen Christina of Sweden Christina ( sv, Kristina, 18 December (New Style) 1626 – 19 April 1689), a member of the House of Vasa, was Queen of Sweden in her own right from 1632 until her abdication in 1654. She succeeded her father Gustavus Adolphus upon his death ...

Works

* ''Poesie liriche d'Alessandro Guidi consagrate all'Altessa Serenissima di Ranuccio II Farnese duca di Parma, e di Piacenza''. In Parma: per li Viotti, 1671 * ''Il Giove d'Elide fulminato, introduzione al balletto fatto dalla serenissima signora duchessa di Parma l'anno 1677. Nel teatrino del serenissimo signor duca poesia d'Alessandro Guidi, posta in musica da d. Marco Uccellini maestro di capella della medesima altezza'', Parma, 1677 * ''Amalasonta in Italia''. Dramma d'Alessandro Guidi, posto in musica dal Maestro di cappella Gio: Battista Policci, e fatto rappresentare dal serenissimo signor duca di Parma nel Teatro del Collegio de' Nobili l'anno 1681. In Parma: per Galeazzo Rosati Stampator Ducale, 1681 * ''Amore riconciliato con Venere'', introduzione al balletto fatto dalla serenissima signora duchessa di Parma l'anno 1681. nel Teatrino del serenissimo signor duca poesia d'Alessandro Guidi, posta in musica dal Maestro di cappella Gio: Battista Policci. In Parma: per Galeazzo Rosati Stampator Ducale, 1681 * ''Accademia per musica fatta nel real palazzo della maesta della regina Christina per festeggiare l'assonzione al trono di Giacomo secondo re d'Inghilterra'', versi d'Alesandro Guidi. In Roma: nella stamperia della Reu. Cam. Apost., 1687 * ''L' Endimione di Erilo Cleoneo pastore arcade con un discorso di Bione Crateo all'eminentiss. e reverendiss. sig. cardinale Albano''. In Amsterdam: appresso la vedoua Schippers, 1692 * ''Pensieri heroici, spiegati dalla penna d'Alessandro Guidi. Dedicati all'illustrissimo Nicolò Foscarini''. In Venetia: appresso Alvise Pavin, 1695; In Parma: per Giuseppe Rossetti, 1695 *''Poesie d'Alessandro Guidi non più raccolte, con la sua vita novamente scritta dal signor canonico Crescimbeni e con due ragionamenti di Vincenzo Gravina non più divulgati'', Verona, G. A. Tumermani, 1726 * ''Le basiliche di S. Francesco di Asisi e della Madonna degli Angeli, descritte da Alessandro Guidi, postovi innanzi un compendio della vita di esso serafico padre''. Roma: Tip. poliglotta, 1873

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Guidi, Carlo 1650 births 1712 deaths 16th-century Italian writers Italian poets Italian male poets Members of the Academy of Arcadians