Frescobaldi was appointed organist of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome in 1608 at the age of twenty-five.
Cultural Impact
Frescobaldi's works inspired the Stylus Phantasticus, a musical style theorized by Athanasius Kircher and brought to its peak by composers like Dietrich Buxtehude.
Composer Biography
Girolamo Frescobaldi, born in Ferrara in 1583, was one of the most famous and skilled virtuosos of his time, exploring new modes of individual musical expression.
Compositional Technique
Frescobaldi's most innovative work was the Libro di Toccate, which introduced a new technique of creating a keyboard score on two staves using copperplate engraving.
Composer's Artistic Vision
In his preface to his first Libro di Toccate, Frescobaldi describes the 'affetti' or emotions and moods that early Baroque artists aimed to portray in music.
Cultural Impact
Frescobaldi's Fiori musicali was so influential that Johann Sebastian Bach copied it out entirely by hand.
Historical Context
Frescobaldi's arrival in Rome in 1604 was likely a consequence of the political situation in Ferrara, which came under Papal jurisdiction after the Duke's death in 1597.
