December 12 is the birthday of Lodovico Giustini (1685-1743), Italian composer and keyboard player of the late Baroque and early Classical eras. Giustini was the first known composer ever to write music for the piano, known then as the pianoforte ("soft and loud").
Giustini was born in Pistoia, to a family of musicians which can be traced back to the early 17th century; coincidentally, he was born in the same year as Johann Sebastian Bach, Giuseppe Domenici Scarlatti, and George Frideric Handel. Giustini's father was organist at the Congregazione dello Spirito Santo, a Jesuit-affiliated group. And an uncle of Lodovico, Domenico Giustini, was also a composer of sacred music.
In 1725, on the death of his father, Lodovico became organist at the Congregazione dello Spirito Santo, and acquired a reputation there as a composer of sacred music: mostly cantatas and oratorios. In 1728 he collaborated with Giovanni Carlo Maria Clari on a set of Lamentations which were performed that year. In 1734 he was hired as organist at S Maria dell'Umiltà, the Cathedral of Pistoia, a position he held for the rest of his life. In addition to playing the organ at both religious institutions, he performed on the harpsichord at numerous locations, often in his own oratorios.
Giustini is best remembered for his collection of twelve Sonate da cimbalo di piano e forte detto volgarmente di martelletti, opus 1, published in Florence in 1732. The publication, a collection of church sonatas, is the earliest record of any music in any genre being written specifically for the piano, predating all others by about 30 years. Giustini's collection is dedicated to Dom António de Bragança, the younger brother of King João V of Portugal--the Portuguese court was one of the few places where the early piano was frequently played.
At the time of Giustini's composition, there were only a very small number of pianos. And most of them were owned by royalty. For this reason, it has been suggested that the publication was a gesture by Giustini to honor a royal patron, rather than to make a profit.
While many performances of Giustini's large-scale sacred works are documented, all of that music is lost, with the exception of fragments such as scattered arias. Though they seem to have attracted little interest at the time of their publication, Giustini's fame rests on his collection of twelve piano sonatas.
Giustini was born in Pistoia, to a family of musicians which can be traced back to the early 17th century; coincidentally, he was born in the same year as Johann Sebastian Bach, Giuseppe Domenici Scarlatti, and George Frideric Handel. Giustini's father was organist at the Congregazione dello Spirito Santo, a Jesuit-affiliated group. And an uncle of Lodovico, Domenico Giustini, was also a composer of sacred music.
In 1725, on the death of his father, Lodovico became organist at the Congregazione dello Spirito Santo, and acquired a reputation there as a composer of sacred music: mostly cantatas and oratorios. In 1728 he collaborated with Giovanni Carlo Maria Clari on a set of Lamentations which were performed that year. In 1734 he was hired as organist at S Maria dell'Umiltà, the Cathedral of Pistoia, a position he held for the rest of his life. In addition to playing the organ at both religious institutions, he performed on the harpsichord at numerous locations, often in his own oratorios.
Giustini is best remembered for his collection of twelve Sonate da cimbalo di piano e forte detto volgarmente di martelletti, opus 1, published in Florence in 1732. The publication, a collection of church sonatas, is the earliest record of any music in any genre being written specifically for the piano, predating all others by about 30 years. Giustini's collection is dedicated to Dom António de Bragança, the younger brother of King João V of Portugal--the Portuguese court was one of the few places where the early piano was frequently played.
At the time of Giustini's composition, there were only a very small number of pianos. And most of them were owned by royalty. For this reason, it has been suggested that the publication was a gesture by Giustini to honor a royal patron, rather than to make a profit.
While many performances of Giustini's large-scale sacred works are documented, all of that music is lost, with the exception of fragments such as scattered arias. Though they seem to have attracted little interest at the time of their publication, Giustini's fame rests on his collection of twelve piano sonatas.
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