Cristofano allori, ritratto di michelangelo il giovane,

Michelangelo Buonarroti il Giovane (baptized 4 November 1568 – 11 January 1646) was a Florentine poet,

librettist A libretto (Italian for "booklet") is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major litu ...

and man of letters, known as "the Younger" to distinguish him from his granduncle.

Education

From 1588 to 1591 he studied mathematics at the

University of Pisa The University of Pisa ( it, Università di Pisa, UniPi), officially founded in 1343, is one of the oldest universities in Europe. History The Origins The University of Pisa was officially founded in 1343, although various scholars place ...

, where he became friends with

Galileo Galilei Galileo di Vincenzo Bonaiuti de' Galilei (15 February 1564 – 8 January 1642) was an Italian astronomer, physicist and engineer, sometimes described as a polymath. Commonly referred to as Galileo, his name was pronounced (, ). He wa ...

and Maffeo Barberini, the future Pope Urban VIII.

Career

Buonarroti was elected to the Accademia Fiorentina in 1585 and the Accademia della Crusca in 1589, and was one of the editors of first Italian dictionary, ''

Vocabolario degli Accademici della Crusca The ''Vocabolario degli Accademici della Crusca'' was the first dictionary of the Italian language, published in 1612 by the Accademia della Crusca. It was also only the second dictionary of a modern European language, being just one year later ...

'' (1612). After the wedding of Marie de' Medici and

Henry IV of France Henry IV (french: Henri IV; 13 December 1553 – 14 May 1610), also known by the epithets Good King Henry or Henry the Great, was King of Navarre (as Henry III) from 1572 and King of France from 1589 to 1610. He was the first monarch ...

in 1600, Buonarroti published a ''Description'' of the banquet and was soon commissioned to write court entertainments: ''Il natal d'Ercole'' (1605), ''Il giudizio di Paride'' (for the wedding of Cosimo II and Maria Maddalena, 1608, music by

Jacopo Peri Jacopo Peri (20 August 156112 August 1633), known under the pseudonym Il Zazzerino, was an Italian composer and singer of the transitional period between the Renaissance and Baroque styles, and is often called the inventor of opera. He wrote th ...

), ''La Tancia'' (1611) and ''Balletto della Cortesia'' (1614). In 1612, Buonarroti began construction of a gallery (now the

Casa Buonarroti Casa Buonarroti is a museum in Florence, Italy. The building was a property owned by the sculptor Michelangelo, which he left to his nephew, Leonardo Buonarroti. The house was converted into a museum dedicated to the artist by his great nephew, Mi ...

) on the Via Ghibellino dedicated to his famous relative and commissioned numerous artists to paint murals, including Artemisia Gentileschi (WP Commons gallery). During this period his name became linked with Francesca Caccini, who composed the music for ''La Tancia'', the ''Balletto'' and ''La Fiera.'' Buonarroti's career as a courtier took a turn for the worse when the Grand Duchess

Christina of Lorraine Christina of Lorraine or Christine de Lorraine (16 August 1565 – 19 December 1637) was a member of the House of Lorraine and was the Grand Duchess of Tuscany by marriage. She served as Regent of Tuscany jointly with her daughter-in-law during ...

took offense at salacious language in ''Fiera'' (1619). In 1623 he dedicated the publication of verse by the Elder Michelangelo to his friend Maffeo Barberini, newly installed as Pope Urban VIII, and sought patronage from other members of the

Barberini family The House of Barberini are a family of the Italian nobility that rose to prominence in 17th century Rome. Their influence peaked with the election of Cardinal Maffeo Barberini to the papal throne in 1623, as Pope Urban VIII. Their urban palace ...

. The last of his theatre pieces was ''La Siringa'', performed at the Palazzo Vecchio in 1634. In 1640 he lost his fortune in a bank failure at a time when the Wars of Castro (in which Rome and Florence took opposite sides) complicated relations with the Barberinis. His final years were spent writing the ''Satires''. He is buried in Santa Croce.

Legacy

Buonarroti's lyrics are found among many 17-century composers' '' musiche'' as well as in

Luigi Dallapiccola Luigi Dallapiccola (February 3, 1904 – February 19, 1975) was an Italian composer known for his lyrical serialism, twelve-tone compositions. Biography Dallapiccola was born in Pisino d'Istria (at the time part of Austria-Hungary, current ...

's ''Sei Cori di Michelangelo Buonarroti il Giovane'' (1933).

Bibliography

*Janie Cole: ''A Muse of Music in Early Baroque Florence: The Poetry of Michelangelo Buonarroti il Giovane.'' Fondazione Carlo Marchi 33. Florence: Leo S. Olschki, 2007 . *Janie Cole: ''Cultural Brokerage and Music-Theatre in Early Modern Italy: Michelangelo Buonarroti il Giovane'' 2011

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Buonarroti, Michelangelo the Younger Michelangelo 1568 births 1646 deaths Italian poets 17th-century Italian writers 17th-century male writers Burials at Basilica of Santa Croce, Florence University of Pisa alumni People from the Province of Florence Italian opera librettists

Education

Career

Legacy

Bibliography

See also

References