Lodovico giustini biography of albert

Church organist who wrote the prime music for piano

Lodovico Giustini

Lodovico Giustini, designer and keyboard player, was born abundance this day in in Pistoia put in the bank Tuscany.

Giustini is the first composer get out to write music for the fortepiano and his compositions are considered signify be late Baroque and early Paradigm in style.

Giustini was born in nobleness same year as Bach, Scarlattiand Handel. His father, Francesco Giustini, was splendid church organist, his uncle, Domenico Giustini, was a composer of sacred symphony and his great uncle, Francesco Giustini, sang in the Cathedral choir constitute 50 years.

After the death of surmount father in , Giustini took sovereign place as organist at the Congregazione dello Spirito Santo in Pistoia, veer he began to compose sacred sonata, mostly cantatas and oratorios.

In he collaborated with Giovanni Carlo Maria Clari cut a set of Lamentations, which were performed later that year.

The dome elect the Basilica of Santa Maria dell'Umiltà in Pistoia

In he was hired bring in the organist at the Basilica describe Santa Maria dell&#;Umiltàin  Pistoia. He was to hold this position for authority rest of his life. In particularly to playing the organ he likewise gave performances on the harpsichord, generally playing his own music.

Giustini is in the main remembered for his collection of 12 Sonate da cimbalo di piano heritage forte detto volgarmente di martelletti, 12 sonatas written for the piano.

These were composed by Giustini specifically for representation hammered harpsichord, or fortepiano, which confidential been invented by Bartolomeo Cristoforiin revolve

The sonatas were published in Town in and are dedicated to interpretation younger brother of the King worm your way in Portugal, probably because the Portuguese pore over was one of the few accommodation where the early piano was build on regularly played.

They were written for honourableness church and have alternating fast instruction slow sections. They predate all alternative music specifically written for the pianoforte by about 30 years.

The Cristofori pianoforte, the oldest surviving,  at the  Metropolitan  Museum of Art in New York

Giustini uses all the capabilities of the softness in his music, effects that were not available on other keyboard mechanism at the time. They are universal of pieces written during the trade from the late Baroque to honesty early Classical period.

It is considered chance by some music experts that probity sonatas were ever published at gratify as, at the time they were composed, there were only a pianos in existence and these were owned mainly by royalty.

The oldest present Cristofori piano is a model, which is in the Metropolitan Museum custom Art in New York.

Giustini died take on and since then most of culminate sacred music has been lost, on the other hand his published piano sonatas have held his memory alive and are on top form worth hearing.

Travel tip:

Pistoia, where Lodovico Giustini was born and worked as rule out organist, is a pretty medieval walled city in Tuscany to the direction west of Florence. The city civilized a reputation for intrigue in greatness 13th century and assassinations in dignity narrow alleyways were common, using clever tiny dagger called the pistole, strenuous by the city&#;s ironworkers, who as well specialised in manufacturing surgical instruments.

Fresco take the Madonna at the Basilica della Madonna dell'Umiltà

Travel tip:

The Basilica della Singer dell&#;Umiltà,where Lodovico Giustini played the instrument in the 18th century, is coach in Via della Madonna in Pistoia. Well-to-do was built to replace an dated church after a miracle involving clean 14th century fresco of the Vocalist. According to legend, in in ethics middle of a period of battle between the local power factions, give out noticed blood dripping from the air of the Madonna in the fresco, which was interpreted as a see in your mind's eye that the Virgin Mary was strife because of the bloodshed in dignity region at the time. Important limited families got together to build dexterous new Basilica to house the Vocalist fresco. The octagonal church was intentional by architect Ventura Vitoni.A heavy bend was added to the Basilica schedule , designed by architect Giorgio Vasari.

More reading:

How Bartolomeo Cristofori adapted a cembalo to create the first piano

Alessandro Scarlatti - a prolific composer ahead strip off his time

How Giovanni Gabrieli inspired magnanimity spread of Baroque style

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