Pietro Castrucci (1679 – 7 March 1752) was an Italian

violin The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...

ist 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 ...

. Castrucci was born 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 ...

, where he studied with

Arcangelo Corelli Arcangelo Corelli (, also , , ; 17 February 1653 – 8 January 1713) was an Italian composer and violinist of the Baroque era. His music was key in the development of the modern genres of sonata and concerto, in establishing the preeminence of ...

; in 1715, he settled in London, where he became known as one of the finest virtuoso violinists of his generation. By 1718 he had become leader of the opera orchestra of

George Frideric Handel George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel (; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque music, Baroque composer well known for his opera#Baroque era, operas, oratorios, anthems, concerto grosso, concerti grossi, ...

, a position which he held until 1737, when he was succeeded by the younger John Clegg. In 1739 he became one of the first beneficiaries of the

Royal Society of Musicians The Royal Society of Musicians of Great Britain is a charity in the United Kingdom that supports musicians. It is the oldest music-related charity in Great Britain, founded in 1738 as the ''Fund for Decay'd Musicians'' by a declaration of trust sign ...

and was little heard of thereafter, apart from an erroneous report of his death in 1746. After a benefit concert in Dublin in 1750, he died there of

malaria Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. S ...

in 1752. Despite being by then a pauper, he was buried with full ceremony in

St. Mary's Church, Dublin St. Mary's Church, Dublin is a former Church of Ireland building on the corner of Mary Street and Jervis Street, Dublin, and adjacent to Wolfe Tone Square. From the 17th century the church was a place of worship for parishioners on Dublin's nor ...

. Castrucci was the inventor of the 'violetta marina', which was a variation of the

viola d'amore The viola d'amore (; Italian for "viol of love") is a 7- or 6- stringed musical instrument with sympathetic strings used chiefly in the baroque period. It is played under the chin in the same manner as the violin. Structure and sound The viol ...

. Handel wrote obbligati for this instrument.Pratt, Waldo Selden. ''The History of Music''. New York: G. Schirmer, Inc., 1907. page 303.

Works

* Sonate a Violino e Basso continuo, Op. 1 * Sonate a Violino e Basso continuo, Op. 2 * 12 Concerti grossi, Op. 3 * 12 ''Sonate a Flauto traverso o Violino o Hautbois e Basso continuo'', 1731, published together with

Francesco Geminiani 230px Francesco Saverio Geminiani (baptised 5 December 1687 – 17 September 1762) was an Italian violinist, composer, and music theorist. BBC Radio 3 once described him as "now largely forgotten, but in his time considered almost a musical god, ...

Notes

References

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Pietro Castrucci

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, 2004. Italian violinists Male violinists 18th-century Italian composers Italian male composers 17th-century Italian musicians 18th-century Italian musicians Musicians from Rome 1679 births 1752 deaths 17th-century male musicians {{Italy-musician-stub