Girolamo Frescobaldi

Frescobaldi was the first important composer to write mainly instrumental music. Born in Ferrara in 1583, he made his name as a keyboard virtuoso and was appointed organist of St. Peter’s, Rome, at the age of just 25. His contemporaries were captivated by the novel, expressive qualities of his playing, which sought to translate notated music back into the improvisatory art from which it sprang. Between 1608 and 1635, Frescobaldi carefully supervised the publication of six volumes of his keyboard works, which in number, variety and individuality outshone those of his predecessors and contemporaries, exemplified by the inspired free variation of “Cento partite sopra Passacagli” (circa 1616). His most personal works were his toccatas, where he achieved a delicate balance between improvisatory exuberance and strong structural discipline, often making use of dramatic speed changes between sections of a work. When he died in 1643, his reputation was already established as the greatest keyboard composer of the first half of the 17th century.