Product Description
Landini was a leading composer of 14th-century Italy, famed during his lifetime for his musical memory, skill in improvisation, and virtuosity on the organetto, or portative organ, as well as for his compositions. Landini was blinded in childhood by smallpox. His blindness did not prevent him from becoming a highly skilled and renowned musician, composer, and instrument maker. In fact, his blindness may have contributed to his prodigious memory and great skill at improvisation. He was crowned with a laurel wreath as the winner of a poetical contest at Venice in 1364.
Landini's output, preserved in the Squarcialupi Codex, represents almost a quarter of all surviving 14th-century Italian music. He was by far the most famous composer in Italy and is considered one of the most revered composers of the second half of the 14th century.
Landini's music is characterized by lyrical, songlike melodies that possess an easy-flowing grace and are charmingly harmonized. He was the foremost exponent of the Italian Trecento style, sometimes called the "Italian ars nova." His output was almost exclusively secular, and he is known for his ballate and madrigals, which were popular forms of Italian secular song. He is assumed to have written his own texts for many of his works.
Francesco Landini's music is characterized by its lyrical melodies, secular themes, and unique rhythms, which set him apart from his contemporaries and contributed to his enduring legacy as a composer.
This product was created by a member of ArrangeMe, Hal Leonard's global self-publishing community of independent composers, arrangers, and songwriters. ArrangeMe allows for the publication of unique arrangements of both popular titles and original compositions from a wide variety of voices and backgrounds.