Life
His entire career, from training to full maturity, was situated entirely within the first and most innovative phase of the Baroque, of which he was a pioneer in the field of instrumental music.
Born in Mantua around 1595, Giovanni Battista Buonamente soon entered the service of the Gonzaga court, where he distinguished himself as a violinist and composer. His technical skill and melodic imagination made him appreciated in Italy and abroad.
He subsequently embarked on a religious life as a Franciscan, continuing, however, to dedicate himself to music and composing instrumental collections that significantly contributed to the development of the violin in the 17th century.
He died in Assisi in 1642, leaving a musical heritage that influenced generations of instrumentalists.
Aneddoto
From the court to the convent
His choice to enter the Franciscan order did not interrupt his musical career: he knew how to reconcile religious life and artistic activity with great consistency.Works
Buonamente published several collections of sonatas and songs for instruments, printed in Mantua and Venice. His compositions show an innovative language that expanded the expressive possibilities of the violin.
Among his most famous works are the Sonate, sinfonie e canzoni in several books, which became reference models for subsequent composers.
Briciole di storia
Eternal love carried in a coffin
In Persia, Pietro Della Valle fell in love with and married a beautiful Assyrian woman named Sitti Maani in 1622. Theirs was a deep but tragically short love, as the young woman died during the return journey to India. Shattered by grief, Pietro refused to part with her; he had his wife's body embalmed and, for the next four years, continued his adventurous travels through Asia, always carrying his beloved's coffin with him. When he finally returned to Rome in 1626, he celebrated a grand funeral, worthy of a queen, burying Sitti Maani in the family tomb in the Basilica of Santa Maria in Aracoeli, completing his last, poignant act of love.
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