Francesco Spinacino ( fl. 1507) was an Italian

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 re ...

and composer. His surviving output comprises the first two volumes of

Ottaviano Petrucci Ottaviano Petrucci (born in Fossombrone on 18 June 1466 – died on 7 May 1539 in Venice) was an Italian printer. His '' Harmonice Musices Odhecaton'', a collection of chansons printed in 1501, is commonly misidentified as the first book of sheet ...

's influential series of lute music publications: ''Intabolatura de lauto libro primo'' and ''Intabolatura de lauto libro secondo'' (both 1507). These two collections comprise the first known printed lute music, and his first book was the first ever instrumental music book printed with the

movable type Movable type (US English; moveable type in British English) is the system and technology of printing and typography that uses movable components to reproduce the elements of a document (usually individual alphanumeric characters or punctuation m ...

system. Spinacino was apparently highly regarded by his contemporaries, as his music was widely copied: some of the pieces are found in manuscripts that originated in the

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. There are 81 pieces overall: 46 intabulations, 27

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 ...

es, two bassadans and six pieces for lute duet. The ricercares are among the most complex of the period; they have no clearly defined form and include several contrasting sections. Particularly notable is ''Recercare de tutti li toni'', which moves through all

modes Mode ( la, modus meaning "manner, tune, measure, due measure, rhythm, melody") may refer to: Arts and entertainment * '' MO''D''E (magazine)'', a defunct U.S. women's fashion magazine * ''Mode'' magazine, a fictional fashion magazine which is ...

. The duets are also historically important, for they present a sample of early 16th century performance practice: one of the lutes is given an intabulation of a

chanson A (, , french: chanson française, link=no, ; ) is generally any lyric-driven French song, though it most often refers to the secular polyphonic French songs of late medieval and Renaissance music. The genre had origins in the monophonic so ...

's original tenor and bass, whereas the other plays in free counterpoint to the titular chanson.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Spinacino, Francesco Composers for lute 16th-century Italian composers Italian male composers Italian lutenists