Life
Trained fully in the style of the mature Baroque, his career unfolded in an era of transition, reaching maturity in the Late Baroque phase which saw the emergence of the new rationalist ideals of Arcadia.
Giovanni Maria Casini was born in Florence in 1652 and lived entirely in his native city. He trained as an organist and composer, embarking on a career that led him to hold the prestigious post of master of the Palatine chapel of Palazzo Pitti, in the service of the Grand Ducal court.
He was known for his activity as an organist, appreciated for his technical skill and improvisation. He composed numerous cantatas and oratorios, which bore witness to his adherence to the most modern currents of sacred music in the late seventeenth century. His students included musicians who continued the Florentine tradition.
He died in 1719, leaving a rich corpus of works that reflects the importance of Florence as a center of sacred and oratorio music of the time.
Aneddoto
A court master
Casini was master of the Palatine chapel of Palazzo Pitti, where his music accompanied the solemn celebrations of the Medici court.Works
Casini's catalogue includes oratorios, cantatas, and sacred compositions. Notable works include the oratorio Il sacrificio d’Abramo (1708), numerous secular and sacred cantatas, masses, and motets performed in the Palatine chapel. His music is preserved in Florentine libraries and archives, testifying to the prestige he achieved in Grand Ducal Florence.
Briciole di storia
of medicine
Layered bones
With Anatome ossium, Domenico Gagliardi was the first to describe the lamellar structure of bones. The work enjoyed European success and was reprinted in Leiden in 1723.
Pubblico dominio (Commons)
