- Antonio Squarcialupi
Antonio Squarcialupi (
March 27 ,1416 –July 6 ,1480 ) was an Italianorganist and composer. He was the most famous organist in Italy in the mid-15th century.Life
He was born in
Florence to a butcher with the family name of Giovanni; however he took the name of Squarcialupi, a well-known family fromTuscany , by mid-century, possibly to disguise his less than aristocratic origins. Most of his early life must have been spent in Florence, and he likely studied with both organistGiovanni Mazzuoli (also called Jovannes de Florentia, who was a pupil ofFrancesco Landini ), as well asMatteo di Pagolo da Prato .He acquired the post of organist at the
Orsanmichele in Florence in 1431, but only remained there for two years, moving instead to the cathedral ofSanta Maria del Fiore , at which post he remained for the rest of his life. He has been honored with a bust in this church.Music and influence
Squarcialupi was part of the court of
Lorenzo de' Medici , and was also a colleague ofGuillaume Dufay ; there are numerous laudatory references to him in the middle of the 15th century, some, for instance that of diaristLuca Landucci , comparing him in stature to figures such as the sculptorDonatello . Evidently he was quite close to Lorenzo, and this is mentioned in his epitaph inFlorence Cathedral .None of his music has survived. His principal fame in music history, aside from his fame as an organist, is to have given his name to the splendid
Squarcialupi Codex , a document he owned (but did not compile), and which is the richest source of music from Italy of the 14th century.References
* Kurt von Fischer, "Antonio Squarcialupi", in "The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians", ed. Stanley Sadie. London, Macmillan Publishers Ltd., 1980. ISBN 1-56159-174-2
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