A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Frescobaldi, Girolamo

by Franz Gehring

FRESCOBALDI, Girolamo, the most distinguished organist of the 17th century, born at Ferrara 1587 or 8, as is conjectured from the date on his first composition—1608. He studied under Alessandro Milleville, also a native of Ferrara. Quadrio tells us that he possessed a singularly beautiful voice; and it is certain that while still a youth he enjoyed a great reputation both as singer and organist. In 1608 he was at Antwerp, as he dates from there the preface to his first book of 5-part Madrigals (Antwerp, Phalesio) dedicated to Guido Bentivoglio, Archbishop of Rhodes; but he must have quickly returned to Italy, as his second book was published at Milan in the same year. In 1614 he was in Rome, and by the following year was regular organist at St. Peter's. His first performance there attracted, according to Baini, an audience of 30,000 persons. Froberger was his pupil from Sept. 30, 1637, to April 1641, and thus the noble style of his Organ playing was handed on to other schools. The date of his death is unknown.

Frescobaldi's compositions are important, and give us a high idea of his powers. He was the first to play tonal fugues on the organ, if we except Samuel Scheidt, a German contemporary but little known. His works comprise, besides the two named above—'Ricercari e canzoni francesi' (Rome, Borboni, 1615); 'Toccate ... e partite d'intavolatura' (1613–27–37–57); 'Seoondo libro di toccata etc.' (Rome 1616); 'Primo libro delle canzoni a 1, 2, 3, 4 voci' (Rome 1628); 'Primo libro, Arie musicali' (Florence 1630); 'Fiori musicali,' op. 12 (Rome 1635); and 'Capricci sopra diversi sogetti' (Rome 1627, Venice 1626). An extract book of Dr. Burney's in the British Museum (Add. MSS. 11,588) contains a copy of the first of these works. A Canzona for the organ will be found in Hawkins (chap. 130), and many other pieces in Coinmer's 'Musica sacra,' and 'Collection des compositions,' etc., and F. Riegl's 'Praxis Organcedi' (1869).

[ F. G. ]

[App. p.642 "We may supplement the notice of this artist in vol. i. p. 563 by giving the results of more recent enquiries with regard to his life. An article by F. X. Haberl in Kirchenmusikalisches Jahrbuch für das Jahr 1887 (Regensburg) produces documentary evidence which shows that Frescobaldi was born in 1583 (register of his baptism in cathedral of Ferrara, Sept. 9, 1583), and that he died March 2, 1644. Not Alessandro Milleville, as stated in vol. i. (who died 1580), but Luzzasco Luzzaschi (1545–1607) organist of Ferrara Cathedral, was Frescobaldi's teacher. Already in 1608 he was appointed organist of St. Peter's, Rome, where he remained in the first instance till 1628. In that year, dissatisfied apparently with his scanty pay at Rome, he sought leave of absence, and accepted an invitation to Florence from Ferdinand II, Grand Duke of Tuscany, who named him his organist. Social and political troubles in Tuscany obliged him to leave Florence in 1633; and returning to Rome, he was re-installed in his former post as organist of St. Peter's, which he continued to hold till 1643. Haberl's article contains a careful bibliography of all the known works of Frescobaldi, and invites subscriptions towards a new edition of them. It may also be added that within the last year Messrs. Breitkopf & Härtel, Leipzig, have published in their 'Alte Meister,' edited by Ernst Pauer (Nos. 61–66) 12 Toccatas of Frescobaldi, presumably those of 1614, but it would be well if modern reprints always stated the source whence they are derived."]

[ J. R. M. ]