Francesco Landini

Francesco Landini (c. 1325 in Fiesole, near Florence, † September 2, 1397, Francesco Landino ) was an Italian composer, organist, singer, multi -instrumentalist and poet.

Life and work

Francesco Landini was born around 1325 in Fiesole, near Florence, the son of the painter Jacopo del Casentino. He went blind during his childhood due to an attack of smallpox. From him over 150 works have been preserved. Of these, 141 Ballaten of which 92 in two voices, two both two-and three voices, and 47 are set in three parts. He is considered the greatest masters of the Trecento madrigal. Landini was organist from 1365 to 1397 and chaplain of San Lorenzo in Florence, however, composed predominantly secular music. According to his biographer, Filippo Villani, whose Liber de origine civitatis Florentiae can be described as main source for biographical Landini, Landini is also dealt with astrology, ethics and philosophy. He embodies so typical of the 14th century composer who understands himself as an intellectual personality and expresses, in contrast to the earlier medieval composers whose personality is almost tangible. Unlike France, with Paris, another important musical center of the time, Italy was already characterized federal - republican. In the city-states such as Venice, Florence and powerful citizens offered the artists a social forum, as besispielweise expressed in Boccaccio's Decameron. So Giovanni Gherardi da Prato reported in Paradiso degli Alberti, as the local litterati - doctors, philosophers, mathematicians, and theologians discussed with each other and playing the organ listened Landini, who played on his heartbreaking Portative. According to Villani was able to merge it in a unique way the human voice with the sound of the organ. He was also active as an organ tuner and instrument maker.

In the 1360s Landini said to have been awarded by the King of Cyprus and the corona laurea, this also shows a picture of Landini's in a miniature of the initial at the beginning of Landini collection in Squarcialupi Codex ( f.121v ) of 1415th

Works

Get twelve two - and three-voice madrigals, a Caccia, more than 140 Ballaten, and a few Mass settings. Collections of Landini plants found in the following manuscripts:

• Codex Panciatichiano ( f.1 -50)
• Codex Reina
• Codex Squarcialupi