Cristofori, the inventor of the piano, initially called his new instrument "a keyboard of cypress with piano [soft] and forte [loud]" due to its ability to vary dynamics.
Compositional Technique
Giustini's sonatas incorporate influences from composers like Domenico Scarlatti, Domenico Zipoli, and Francesco Veracini, and feature binary form movements, dances, and contrapuntal excursions.
Composition History
Lodovico Giustini's 12 Sonatas Op.1, written in 1732, are the earliest known compositions specifically for the newly invented piano.
Interpretation
Pianist Paolo Zentilin faced challenges with the handwritten manuscript and even a printed edition of Giustini's sonatas, finding errors and inconsistencies that he corrected or creatively adapted.
Interpretation
Paolo Zentilin's approach to performing these sonatas on a modern piano balances Baroque sensibility with a pianistic approach, using a wide sound palette, big contrasts, and pedals, while also improvising some ornamentation.
Historical Context
The piano was invented around 1700 by Bartolomeo Cristofori, an instrument builder in Padua, who was hired by Grand Duke Ferdinando de'Medici to maintain his instrument collection.
Composition History
Giustini dedicated his 12 Sonatas to Dom António de Bragança, the younger brother of Maria Barbara, for whom Domenico Scarlatti gave keyboard lessons.
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