Girolamo Alessandro Frescobaldi (; also Gerolamo, Girolimo, and Geronimo Alissandro; September 15831 March 1643) was an Italian composer and
virtuoso
A virtuoso (from Italian ''virtuoso'' or , "virtuous", Late Latin ''virtuosus'', Latin ''virtus'', "virtue", "excellence" or "skill") is an individual who possesses outstanding talent and technical ability in a particular art or field such a ...
keyboard player. Born in the
Duchy of Ferrara, he was one of the most important composers of
keyboard
Keyboard may refer to:
Text input
* Keyboard, part of a typewriter
* Computer keyboard
** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping
** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware
Music
* Mu ...
music in the late
Renaissance
The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ide ...
and early
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 ...
periods. A child prodigy, Frescobaldi studied under
Luzzasco Luzzaschi in Ferrara, but was influenced by many composers, including
Ascanio Mayone
Ascanio Mayone (ca. 1565 – 1627) was a Neapolitan composer and harpist. He trained as a pupil of Giovanni de Macque in Naples, and worked at Santissima Annunziata Maggiore there as organist from 1593 and ''maestro di cappella'' from 1621; ...
,
Giovanni Maria Trabaci
Giovanni Maria Trabaci (ca. 1575 – 31 December 1647) was an Italian composer and organist. He was a prolific composer, with some 300 surviving works preserved in more than 10 publications; he was especially important for his keyboard music.
B ...
, and
Claudio Merulo. Girolamo Frescobaldi was appointed organist of
St. Peter's Basilica, a focal point of power for the
Cappella Giulia (a musical organisation), from 21 July 1608 until 1628 and again from 1634 until his death.
Frescobaldi's printed collections contain some of the most influential music of the 17th century. His work influenced
Johann Jakob Froberger,
Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the '' Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard wo ...
,
Henry Purcell
Henry Purcell (, rare: September 1659 – 21 November 1695) was an English composer.
Purcell's style of Baroque music was uniquely English, although it incorporated Italian and French elements. Generally considered among the greatest E ...
, and other major composers. Pieces from his celebrated collection of liturgical organ music, ''
Fiori musicali
''Fiori musicali'' ("''Musical Flowers''") is a collection of Liturgy, liturgical Pipe organ, organ music by Girolamo Frescobaldi, first published in 1635. It contains three organ masses and two secular capriccios. Generally acknowledged as one of ...
'' (1635), were used as models of strict counterpoint as late as the 19th century.
Life
Frescobaldi was born in
Ferrara
Ferrara (, ; egl, Fràra ) is a city and ''comune'' in Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy, capital of the Province of Ferrara. it had 132,009 inhabitants. It is situated northeast of Bologna, on the Po di Volano, a branch channel of the main stream ...
. His father Filippo was a man of property, possibly an organist, since both Girolamo and his half-brother Cesare became organists. (There is no evidence that the Frescobaldi of Ferrara were related to the homonymous
Florentine noble house.) Frescobaldi studied under
Luzzasco Luzzaschi, a noted composer of
madrigals and an organist at the court of
Duke Alfonso II d'Este. Although Luzzaschi's keyboard music is relatively unknown today (much of it has been lost), contemporary accounts suggest he was both a gifted composer and performer, one of the few who could perform and compose for
Nicola Vicentino's ''
archicembalo.'' Contemporary accounts describe Frescobaldi as a child prodigy who was "brought through various principal cities of Italy"; he quickly gained prominence as a performer and patronage of important noblemen. Composers who visited Ferrara during the period included numerous important masters such as
Claudio Monteverdi
Claudio Giovanni Antonio Monteverdi (baptized 15 May 1567 – 29 November 1643) was an Italian composer, choirmaster and string player. A composer of both secular and sacred music, and a pioneer in the development of opera, he is consider ...
,
John Dowland,
Orlande de Lassus,
Claudio Merulo, and
Carlo Gesualdo
Carlo Gesualdo da Venosa ( – 8 September 1613) was Prince of Venosa and Count of Conza. As a composer he is known for writing madrigals and pieces of sacred music that use a chromatic language not heard again until the late 19th century ...
.
In his early twenties, Frescobaldi left his native Ferrara for Rome. Reports place Frescobaldi in that city as early as 1604, but his presence can only be confirmed by 1607. He was the church organist at
Santa Maria in Trastevere, recorded as “Girolamo Organista”, from January to May of that year. He was also employed by
Guido Bentivoglio, the
Archbishop of Rhodes, and accompanied him on a trip to
Flanders
Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to cultu ...
where Bentivoglio had been made ''
nuncio
An apostolic nuncio ( la, nuntius apostolicus; also known as a papal nuncio or simply as a nuncio) is an ecclesiastical diplomat, serving as an envoy or a permanent diplomatic representative of the Holy See to a state or to an international ...
'' to the court. It was Frescobaldi's only trip outside Italy. Although the court at Brussels was musically among the most important in Europe at the time, there is no evidence of
Peeter Cornet's or
Peter Philips' influence on Frescobaldi. Based on Frescobaldi's preface to his first publication, the 1608 volume of madrigals, the composer also visited
Antwerp
Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504, , where local musicians, impressed with his music, persuaded him to publish at least some of it. While abroad, Frescobaldi was elected on 21 July 1608 to succeed
Ercole Pasquini as organist of
St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. Frescobaldi remained in Flanders, however, through the summer and did not return to Rome until 29 October (delaying his arrival with an extended stay in
Milan
Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city ...
to publish another collection of music, the keyboard ''Fantasie''). He took up his duties on 31 October and held the position, albeit intermittently, until his death. He also joined Enzo Bentivoglio's musical establishment after the latter settled in Rome in 1608, although he grew estranged from his patron after an affair with a young woman. A scandal involving competition between Bentivoglio and the
Medici
The House of Medici ( , ) was an Italian banking family and political dynasty that first began to gather prominence under Cosimo de' Medici, in the Republic of Florence during the first half of the 15th century. The family originated in the Mu ...
family eventually forced him to leave his position.
Between 1610 and 1613, Frescobaldi began to work for Cardinal
Pietro Aldobrandini. He remained in his service until after the death of Cardinal Aldobrandini in February 1621. On 18 February 1613 he married Orsola Travaglini, known as Orsola del Pino. The couple had five children: Francesco (an illegitimate child born on 29 May 1612), Maddalena (an illegitimate child born on 22 July 1613), Domenico (8 November 1614, poet and art collector), Stefano (1616/7), and Caterina (September 1619).
In October 1614, Frescobaldi was approached by an agent of the Duke of
Mantua
Mantua ( ; it, Mantova ; Lombard and la, Mantua) is a city and '' comune'' in Lombardy, Italy, and capital of the province of the same name.
In 2016, Mantua was designated as the Italian Capital of Culture. In 2017, it was named as the Eur ...
,
Ferdinando I Gonzaga. Frescobaldi was given such a good offer he agreed to enter his employ. However, at his arrival in Mantua the reception was so cold that Frescobaldi returned to Rome by April 1615. He continued publishing his music: two editions of the first book of
toccatas and a book of
ricercar
A ricercar ( , ) or ricercare ( , ) is a type of late Renaissance and mostly early Baroque instrumental composition. The term ''ricercar'' derives from the Italian verb which means 'to search out; to seek'; many ricercars serve a preludial funct ...
s and
canzonas appeared in 1615. In addition to his duties at the Basilica and the Aldobrandini establishment, Frescobaldi took pupils and occasionally worked at other churches. The period from 1615 to 1628 was Frescobaldi's most productive time. His major works from this period were instrumental pieces including: a second version of the first book of toccatas (1615–6), ricercars and canzonas (1615), the cappricios (1624), the second book of toccatas (1627), and a volume of canzonas for one to four instruments and continuo (1628).
St. Peter's Basilica gave Frescobaldi permission to leave Rome on 22 November 1628. Girolamo moved to
Florence
Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico ...
, Italy into the service of the Grand Duke of Tuscany, a
Medici
The House of Medici ( , ) was an Italian banking family and political dynasty that first began to gather prominence under Cosimo de' Medici, in the Republic of Florence during the first half of the 15th century. The family originated in the Mu ...
. During his sojourn there he was the highest paid musician and served as the organist of the Florence baptistery for a year. He stayed in the city until 1634; the period resulted in, among other things, the publication of two books of arias (1630). The composer returned to Rome in April 1634, having been summoned into the service of the powerful Barberini family, i.e.
Pope Urban VIII
Pope Urban VIII ( la, Urbanus VIII; it, Urbano VIII; baptised 5 April 1568 – 29 July 1644), born Maffeo Vincenzo Barberini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 6 August 1623 to his death in July 1644. As po ...
, the highest prize offered to any musician. He continued working at St. Peter's, and was also employed by
Cardinal Francesco Barberini, who also employed the famous lutenist
Johannes Hieronymus Kapsberger
Giovanni Girolamo Kapsperger (also: ''Johann(es) Hieronymus Kapsberger'' or ''Giovanni Geronimo Kapsperger''; c. 1580 – 17 January 1651) was an Austrian-Italian virtuoso performer and composer of the early Baroque period. A prolific and highly o ...
. Frescobaldi published one of his most influential collections, ''
Fiori musicali
''Fiori musicali'' ("''Musical Flowers''") is a collection of Liturgy, liturgical Pipe organ, organ music by Girolamo Frescobaldi, first published in 1635. It contains three organ masses and two secular capriccios. Generally acknowledged as one of ...
'', in 1635, and also produced reprints of older collections in 1637. No other prints followed (although a collection of previously unpublished works appeared in 1645, and in 1664 Domenico Frescobaldi still possessed pieces by his father that were never published). Frescobaldi died on 1 March 1643 after an illness that lasted for 10 days. He was buried in
Santi Apostoli, but the tomb disappeared during a rebuilding of the church in the late 18th century. A grave bearing his name and honoring him as one of the fathers of Italian music exists in the church today.
Music
Frescobaldi was, after
Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck, the first of the great composers of the ancient Franco-Netherlandish-Italian tradition who chose to focus his creative energy on
instrumental
An instrumental is a recording normally without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through semantic widening, a broader sense of the word song may refer to inst ...
composition. Frescobaldi brought a wide range of emotion to the relatively unplumbed depths of instrumental music. Keyboard music occupies the most important position in Frescobaldi's extant oeuvre. He published eight collections of it during his lifetime, several were reprinted under his supervision, and more pieces were either published posthumously or transmitted in manuscripts. His collection of instrumental ensemble
canzonas, ''
Il Primo Libro delle Canzoni'', was published in two editions in Rome in 1628, and substantially revised in the Venice edition of 1634. Of the forty pieces in the collection, ten were replaced and all were revised to various degrees, sixteen of them radically so. This extensive editing attests to Frescobaldi's ongoing interest in the utmost perfection of his pieces and collections.
Frescobaldi's compositional canon began with his 1615 publications. One of the publications issued in 1615 was ''Ricercari, et canzone''. This work returned to the old-fashioned, pure style of
ricercar
A ricercar ( , ) or ricercare ( , ) is a type of late Renaissance and mostly early Baroque instrumental composition. The term ''ricercar'' derives from the Italian verb which means 'to search out; to seek'; many ricercars serve a preludial funct ...
. Fast note values and triple meter were not allowed to detract from the purity of style. A second publication of 1615 was the ''Toccate e partite'' which established expressive keyboard style. Frescobaldi did not obey the conventional rules for composing, ensuring no two works have a similar structure. From 1615 to 1628, Frescobaldi's publications connect him with the Congregazione exactly when the group's activities determined the Roman musical trends.
Frescobaldi's next stream of compositions expanded their artistic range beyond the keyboard music that he had focused on previously. Frescobaldi's next four publications after 1627 were composed for instrumental and vocal ensembles in both
sacred
Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects ( ...
and
secular genres. The collections of thirty sacred works of 1627 and forty ensemble canzonas of 1628 are structural opposites. However, both are written in a more traditional style that makes them appropriate for church use. The ''Arie musicali'', published in 1630, were probably composed earlier while Frescobaldi was in Rome. These two volumes utilize keyboard pairs, the
romanesca/
ruggiero Ruggiero () is an Italian spelling variant of the name Ruggero, a version of the Germanic name Roger, and may refer to:
As a surname
* Adamo Ruggiero (born 1986), Canadian actor
* Angela Ruggiero (born 1980), American hockey player
* Angelo Rug ...
and the
ciaconna/
passacaglia, within the vocal mode.
In 1635, Frescobaldi published ''
Fiori musicali
''Fiori musicali'' ("''Musical Flowers''") is a collection of Liturgy, liturgical Pipe organ, organ music by Girolamo Frescobaldi, first published in 1635. It contains three organ masses and two secular capriccios. Generally acknowledged as one of ...
''. This group of works is his only composition devoted to
church music
Church music is Christian music written for performance in church, or any musical setting of ecclesiastical liturgy, or music set to words expressing propositions of a sacred nature, such as a hymn.
History
Early Christian music
The ...
and his last collection containing completely new pieces. The ''Fiori'' experiments with many types of genres within the liturgical confines of a
mass
Mass is an intrinsic property of a body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the quantity of matter in a physical body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physics. It was found that different atoms and different ele ...
. Almost all of the genres practiced by Frescobaldi are present within this collection except for the popular style. Frescobaldi cultivated the old form of organ
improvisation
Improvisation is the activity of making or doing something not planned beforehand, using whatever can be found. Improvisation in the performing arts is a very spontaneous performance without specific or scripted preparation. The skills of impr ...
on a
Gregorian chant
Gregorian chant is the central tradition of Western plainchant, a form of monophonic, unaccompanied sacred song in Latin (and occasionally Greek) of the Roman Catholic Church. Gregorian chant developed mainly in western and central Europe dur ...
''
cantus firmus'' that is best displayed within the ''Fiori muscali''. The organ alternated with the
choir
A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which sp ...
on ''versets'' and improvised in a
contrapuntal
In music, counterpoint is the relationship between two or more musical lines (or voices) which are harmonically interdependent yet independent in rhythm and melodic contour. It has been most commonly identified in the European classical tradi ...
style. Works from ''Fiori musicali'' were still used as models of strict counterpoint in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Aside from ''Fiori musicali'', Frescobaldi's two books of ''
toccatas'' and ''
partitas'' (1615 and 1627) are his most important collections. His ''toccatas'' could be used in masses and liturgical occasions. These ''toccatas'' served as
preludes to larger pieces, or were pieces of substantial length standing alone. The ''
Secondo libro'', written in 1627, stretches the conception of the genres included in the first book of ''toccatas.'' More variety is introduced with different rhythmic techniques and four organ pieces. Both books open with a set of twelve ''toccatas'' written in a flamboyant improvisatory style and alternating fast-note runs or ''passaggi'' with more intimate and meditative parts, called ''affetti'', plus short bursts of contrapuntal imitation.
Virtuosic
A virtuoso (from Italian ''virtuoso'' or , "virtuous", Late Latin ''virtuosus'', Latin ''virtus'', "virtue", "excellence" or "skill") is an individual who possesses outstanding talent and technical ability in a particular art or field such as fi ...
techniques permeate the music and make some of the pieces challenging even for modern performers—''Toccata IX'' from ''Secondo libro di toccata'' bears an inscription by the composer: "Non senza fatiga si giunge al fine", "Not without toil will you get to the end." Such short remarks appear also in works from ''Fiori musicali''; one of these refers to a fifth voice that is to be sung by the performer at key moments during a ''ricercar,'' and the key moments are left to the performer to find. Frescobaldi's famous note for this piece is ""Intendami chi puo che m'intend' io"—"Understand me,
ho can,as long as I can understand myself". The concept is yet another illustration of Frescobaldi's innovative, bold approach to composition.
Although Frescobaldi was influenced by numerous earlier composers such as the Neapolitans
Ascanio Mayone
Ascanio Mayone (ca. 1565 – 1627) was a Neapolitan composer and harpist. He trained as a pupil of Giovanni de Macque in Naples, and worked at Santissima Annunziata Maggiore there as organist from 1593 and ''maestro di cappella'' from 1621; ...
and
Giovanni Maria Trabaci
Giovanni Maria Trabaci (ca. 1575 – 31 December 1647) was an Italian composer and organist. He was a prolific composer, with some 300 surviving works preserved in more than 10 publications; he was especially important for his keyboard music.
B ...
and the Venetian
Claudio Merulo, his music represents much more than a summary of its influences. Aside from his masterful treatment of traditional forms, Frescobaldi is important for his numerous innovations, particularly in the field of
tempo
In musical terminology, tempo ( Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (ofte ...
: unlike his predecessors, he would include in his pieces sections in contrasting tempi, and some of his publications include a lengthy preface detailing tempo-related aspects of performance. In effect, he made a compromise between the ancient
white mensural notation with a rigid ''
tactus'' and the modern notion of tempo. Although this idea was not new (it was used by, for example,
Giulio Caccini), Frescobaldi was among the first to popularize it in keyboard music.
Frescobaldi also made substantial contributions to the art of
variation; he may have been one of the first composers to introduce the juxtaposition of the
''ciaccona'' and ''
passacaglia'' into the music repertory, as well as the first to compose a set of variations on an original theme (all earlier examples are variations on folk or popular melodies). Frescobaldi showed an increasing interest in composing intricate works out of unrelated individual pieces during his last years of composing. The last work Frescobaldi composed, ''Cento partite sopra passacagli'', was his most impressive creative work. The ''Cento'' displays Frescobaldi's new interest in combining different pieces that were first written independently.
The composer's other works include collections of ''
canzonas,''
fantasias, ''
capriccios,'' and other keyboard genres, as well as four prints of vocal music (
motet
In Western classical music, a motet is mainly a vocal musical composition, of highly diverse form and style, from high medieval music to the present. The motet was one of the pre-eminent polyphonic forms of Renaissance music. According to Ma ...
s and
aria
In music, an aria ( Italian: ; plural: ''arie'' , or ''arias'' in common usage, diminutive form arietta , plural ariette, or in English simply air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrumental or orchestral accompa ...
s; one book of motets is lost) and one of ensemble ''canzonas.''
Legacy
Contemporary critics acknowledged Frescobaldi as one of the greatest trendsetters of keyboard music of their time. Even critics who did not approve of Frescobaldi's vocal works agreed that he was a genius both playing and composing for the keyboard. Frescobaldi's music did not lose direct influence until the 1660s, and his works held influence over the development of keyboard music over a century after his death.
Bernardo Pasquini promoted Girolamo Frescobaldi to the rank of pedagogical authority.
Frescobaldi's pupils included numerous Italian composers, but the most important was a German,
Johann Jakob Froberger, who studied with him in 1637–41. Froberger's works were influenced not only by Frescobaldi but also by
Michelangelo Rossi; he became one of the most influential composers of the 17th century, and, similarly to Frescobaldi, his works were still studied in the 18th century. Frescobaldi's work was known to, and influenced, numerous major composers outside Italy, including
Henry Purcell
Henry Purcell (, rare: September 1659 – 21 November 1695) was an English composer.
Purcell's style of Baroque music was uniquely English, although it incorporated Italian and French elements. Generally considered among the greatest E ...
,
Johann Pachelbel
Johann Pachelbel (baptised – buried 9 March 1706; also Bachelbel) was a German composer, organist, and teacher who brought the south German organ schools to their peak. He composed a large body of sacred and secularity, secular music, and h ...
, and
Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the '' Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard wo ...
.
Bach is known to have owned a number of Frescobaldi's works, including a manuscript copy of Frescobaldi's ''Fiori musicali'' (Venice, 1635), which he signed and dated 1714 and performed in
Weimar
Weimar is a city in the state of Thuringia, Germany. It is located in Central Germany between Erfurt in the west and Jena in the east, approximately southwest of Leipzig, north of Nuremberg and west of Dresden. Together with the neighbouri ...
the same year. Frescobaldi's influence on Bach is most evident in his early choral preludes for organ. Finally, Frescobaldi's ''toccatas'' and ''canzonas,'' with their sudden changes and contrasting sections, may have inspired the celebrated ''
stylus fantasticus
The stylus fantasticus (or stylus phantasticus) is a style of early baroque music, especially for the instrumental music.
Description and history
The root of this music is organ toccatas and fantasias, particularly derived from those of Claudio ...
'' of the
North German organ school.
The
WYSIWYG
In computing, WYSIWYG ( ), an acronym for What You See Is What You Get, is a system in which editing software allows content to be edited in a form that resembles its appearance when printed or displayed as a finished product, such as a printed d ...
editor for
LilyPond
LilyPond is a computer program and file format for music engraving. One of LilyPond's major goals is to produce scores that are engraved with traditional layout rules, reflecting the era when scores were engraved by hand.
LilyPond is cross-pla ...
music files is called
Frescobaldi to honour the composer.
References
Notes
Citations
Sources
*
*
*
*
*
Further reading
*
External links
*
*
* Kunst der Fuge
Girolamo Frescobaldi – MIDI filesFTCOFrescobaldi Thematic Catalogue Online; An online thematic catalogue of all compositions attributed to Girolamo Frescobaldi and a database of the early sources, modern and facsimile editions, and literature. JSCM Instrumenta, Volume 6, Society for Seventeenth-Century Music.
Frescobaldi dedicated website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Frescobaldi, Girolamo
Italian Baroque composers
Italian classical musicians
Italian classical organists
Male classical organists
Italian harpsichordists
Composers for harpsichord
Composers for pipe organ
Child classical musicians
Musicians from Ferrara
1583 births
1643 deaths
17th-century Italian composers
Italian male classical composers
16th-century Italian musicians
17th-century male musicians