Francesco Landini facts for kids
Francesco Landini (born around 1325 – died September 2, 1397) was a very important Italian composer, organist, singer, poet, and even an instrument maker. He was a key figure in the musical style of the late Medieval music period known as the Trecento style. Landini was the most famous composer in Italy during the second half of the 1300s.
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What's in a Name?
Francesco Landini was known by many different names during his time. People wrote his name in various ways in old manuscripts and documents. Some of these names included Francesco degli Organi (meaning "Francesco of the Organs"), Francesco il Cieco (meaning "Francesco the Blind"), and Francesco da Firenze (meaning "Francesco from Florence").
Later on, people mostly started calling him Francesco Landini or Landino. However, modern experts now believe that the name 'Landini' might not have been his actual family name. They prefer to use names like 'Francesco da Firenze' or 'Francesco degli Organi' because these names were used in the 1300s.
Francesco Landini's Life Story
We don't know every detail about Francesco Landini's life, but we have learned a lot from old records. Most of what we know comes from a book written in 1385 by Filippo Villani. Villani wrote about famous people from Florence, Italy, and he was born around the same time as Landini.
Landini was most likely born in Florence, a famous city in Italy. He became blind when he was a child, probably because he got smallpox. Because of this, he focused on music from a young age. He became very good at playing many instruments, like the lute. He was also a talented singer, poet, and composer.
Villani also said that Landini invented musical instruments. One of these was a stringed instrument called the 'syrena syrenarum'. It combined features of the lute and psaltery. Some believe it was an early version of the bandura, a Ukrainian folk instrument.
Landini was already making music in the early 1350s. He probably spent some time in northern Italy before 1370. This is suggested by some of his music. For example, one of his songs is dedicated to Andrea Contarini, who was the leader of Venice from 1368 to 1382. Also, many of his works are found in music collections from northern Italy.
Working as an Organist
In 1361, Landini started working as an organist at a monastery in Florence called Santa Trinità. Then, from 1365 onwards, he worked at the church of San Lorenzo. He was involved in some of the political and religious discussions of his time. However, he always remained in good standing with the leaders of Florence.
Landini knew many other Italian composers of his era. This included Lorenzo da Firenze, who he worked with at Santa Trinità. He also knew Andreas da Florentia. Around 1375, Andreas asked Landini for help building an organ at a church in Florence. Records show that they even bought wine during the three days it took to tune the instrument! Landini also helped build new organs at other churches in Florence in 1379 and 1387.
Many writers from his time praised Landini. They admired him not just as a composer, but also as a singer, poet, organist, and philosopher. One writer, Giovanni da Prato, said that Landini's music was so beautiful that "hearts burst from their bosoms." This shows how much people loved his melodies.
Landini is buried in the church of San Lorenzo in Florence. His tombstone, which was lost for a while but is now back in the church, shows him playing a portative organ.
Landini's Music and Influence
Landini was the most important composer of the Italian Trecento style. This style is sometimes called the "Italian ars nova". Most of his music was secular, meaning it was not for church services. While he might have written sacred music, none of it has survived.
What we do have are many ballate. These are songs, and he wrote eighty-nine for two voices and forty-two for three voices. He also wrote nine ballate that exist in both two- and three-voice versions. Besides ballate, a smaller number of madrigals have also survived. It is believed that Landini wrote the words for many of his own songs. His music, especially found in the Squarcialupi Codex, makes up almost a quarter of all the Italian music that survived from the 1300s.
The Landini Cadence
Landini is famous for something called the Landini cadence. A cadence is a musical ending or a way to finish a phrase. In the Landini cadence, a specific note (the sixth note of the scale) is added just before the final note.
Even though it's named after him, Landini didn't invent this type of ending. Other composers used it before him, and it was common in music from that time and even into the 1400s. However, Landini used this ending very often in his music. That's why it's named after him, even though the name came about after the medieval era.
Images for kids
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Landini's tombstone showing him playing a portative organ.
See also
In Spanish: Francesco Landini para niños
