Giovanni Paolo Foscarini (
fl. 1600 – 1647) was an Italian
guitar
The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...
ist,
lutenist
A lute ( or ) is any plucked string instrument with a neck and a deep round back enclosing a hollow cavity, usually with a sound hole or opening in the body. It may be either fretted or unfretted.
More specifically, the term "lute" can refe ...
,
theorist
A theory is a rational type of abstract thinking about a phenomenon, or the results of such thinking. The process of contemplative and rational thinking is often associated with such processes as observational study or research. Theories may be ...
and
composer
A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music.
Etymology and Defi ...
.
A note at the end of the list of contents in his earliest surviving guitar book ''Intavolatura di chitarra spagnola. Libro secondo'' (1629) refers to him a ''Musico, e Sonatore, di Liuto e Tiorba, della Venerabile Compagnia del Saatissimo
icSacramento d'Ancona''. He was also a member of the Accademia dei Caliginosi in Ancona, identifying himself in his earlier books only by the name of the society together with his own academic name ''Il Furioso''. In the introduction to his third book printed in about 1630 he claims to be well known as a lutenist both in Italy and abroad, especially at the court of Archduke Alberto in the Spanish Netherlands. Archduke Albert, a nephew of Philip II of Spain, was governor of the Spanish Netherlands from 1595 until his death in 1621. Foscarini must have been in the Netherlands sometime before that date. He was active in
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
,
Venice
Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...
,
Brussels
Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
, and
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
Letters which he wrote to the Dutch scholar,
Constantijn Huygens
Sir Constantijn Huygens, Lord of Zuilichem ( , , ; 4 September 159628 March 1687), was a Dutch Golden Age poet and composer. He was also secretary to two Princes of Orange: Frederick Henry and William II, and the father of the scientist C ...
from Paris at the beginning of 1649 to give some information about his later years. He was planning to travel to Italy, but was ill in bed and without funds for the journey. He may have died soon after.
His ''Il primo, secondo e terzo libro della chitarra spagnola'' printed in about 1630 is the earliest known engraved Italian guitar tablature. This includes pieces from his two earlier books, (no copies of his Libro primo are extant) all in the strummed style notated in alfabeto together with a third book which includes pieces in mixed ''battute-pizzicato'' style notated in italian lute tablature combined with alfabeto. A fourth book was added to the edition printed in about 1632 - ''I quatro libri della chitarra spagnola''. The final version, with a dedication to the French nobleman, Charles of Lorraine, Duke of Guise is signed by Foscarini and dated Rome 15 September 1640. It includes a fifth book and has the title ''Li cinque libri della chitarra alla spagnola''. His notation is idiosyncratic and sometimes difficult to decipher, but the music is very attractive and encompasses the entire Italian guitar repertory of the period. It was highly regarded during his lifetime. In the preface, Foscarini gives detailed instructions about his notation and discusses three playing styles: battute (strummed), pizzicato (plucked) which he deemed more appropriate to the lute, and a mixture of the two, which he employs predominantly in the three later books. Although it is unlikely that he alone invented this mixed style playing (there are earlier manuscript sources), Foscarini was obviously an important influence on later composers such as
Angelo Michele Bartolotti
Angelo Michele Bartolotti (died before 1682) was an Italian guitarist, theorbo player and composer. Bartolotti was probably born in Bologna, Italy, as he describes himself as "Bolognese" on the title page of his first guitar book and "di Bologna" ...
and
Francesco Corbetta
Francesco Corbetta (ca. 1615 – 1681, in French also Francisque Corbette) was an Italian guitar virtuoso, teacher and composer. Along with his compatriots Giovanni Paolo Foscarini and Angelo Michele Bartolotti, he was a pioneer and exponent o ...
.
List of works
Music
# ''Libro primo'' (lost; contents reprinted in (3))
# ''Intavolatura di chitarra spagnola, libro secondo'' (Macerata, 1629)
# ''Il primo, secondo e terzo libro della chitarra spagnola'' (includes (1) and (2))
# ''I 4 libri della chitarra spagnola'' (includes (3))
# ''Li 5 libri della chitarra alla spagnola'' (Rome, 1640; includes (3))
# ''Inventione di toccate sopra la chitarra spagnuola'' (Rome, 1640; contents identical to (5))
Writings
*''Dell'armonia del mondo, lettione due'' (Paris, 1647)
References
*
External links
Foscarini page at MonicaHall site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Foscarini, Giovanni Paolo
Composers for the classical guitar
Italian Baroque composers
17th-century Italian composers
Italian male classical composers
17th-century male musicians