Alessandro Piccinini facts for kids
Alessandro Piccinini (1566 – 1638) was an Italian musician. He was a skilled lutenist, which means he played the lute. He also wrote music.
Alessandro was born in Bologna, Italy. His family loved music. His father, Leonardo Maria Piccinini, taught Alessandro and his brothers, Girolamo and Filippo, to play the lute.
Alessandro worked for important people during his life. He played music for the Este family in Ferrara from 1582 to 1597. He also worked for Cardinal Pietro Aldobrandini, a church leader in Bologna and Ferrara. Alessandro likely died in Bologna around 1638.
Contents
Alessandro's Music and Inventions
Alessandro Piccinini is most famous for his two books of lute music. The first book was called Intavolatura di Liuto et di Chitarrone, libro primo. It was published in Bologna in 1623. His second book, Intavolaturo di Liuto, came out in 1639. This book was published after he died by his son, Leonardo Maria Piccinini.
Important Musical Ideas
The 1623 book is very special. It has a long introduction where Piccinini explains how to play the lute well. In this book, he also said that he invented the archlute. The archlute is a larger lute with extra bass strings. He also made important changes to another instrument called the chitarrone.
Piccinini wrote many different kinds of songs. He focused on pieces like toccatas, which are fast and free-sounding. He also wrote courantes and galliards, which were popular dances. He also created many variations on musical themes.
We don't know of any other music written by Alessandro Piccinini. His brother, Filippo Piccinini, wrote an opera called La selva sin amor. This was the first opera ever performed in Spain. Alessandro's music for this opera is now lost.
Alessandro's Published Works
- Intavolatura di liuto, et di chitarrone, libro primo (Bologna, 1623): This book included music for both the lute and the chitarrone. It had different types of songs like arias, ballets, courantes, galliards, and ricercares. It also had instructions on how to play these instruments easily.
- Intavolatura di liuto (Bologna, 1639): This book was published after Piccinini's death. It contained toccatas, ricercares, courantes, galliards, and other unique pieces. It also included a "Bergamasco" (a folk dance) and a "Battle" piece.
See also
In Spanish: Alessandro Piccinini para niños
