Life
His entire artistic trajectory, from his formative period to full maturity, unfolded consistently within the Arcadia movement, representing an important synthesis between the Italian and Spanish styles.
Born in Seville in 1677, Francisco José de Castro, known as “lo spagnuolo,” came from a noble family and was sent at a very young age to study at the College of Nobles in Brescia, directed by the Jesuits. He studied under Paris Francesco Alghisi, from whom he learned the foundations of contrapuntal music and the concertato style.
In 1695, he published his Trattenimenti Armonici da camera in Bologna, a collection of ten trio sonatas in the Corellian style. His sonatas begin with a prelude and include dance movements, following the fugal style. The work was circulated throughout Italian musical libraries, a sign of the quality and success of his compositions.
In 1708, the 8 Concerti accademici (for oboe, two violins, violone, and harpsichord) were attributed to him under the pseudonym “Accademico Formato.” He also wrote an opera, Il delfino in cielo (1697, Brescia), dedicated to Nicolò Dolfin, the city's captain. He died in 1730, leaving a repertoire that reflects the bond between the Iberian style and the Italian instrumental school.
Aneddoto
The “Spaniard” in Bologna
Castro was nicknamed “lo spagnuolo” by his Bolognese colleagues, a mark of his origins and the fascination he exerted as a foreign musician in Italy.Works
Among his known works: Trattenimenti Armonici da camera a tre (1695, Bologna); Concerti accademici à quattro (1708, Bologna, attributed); Il delfino in cielo (1697, Brescia). His music, preserved in Bologna and other libraries, bears witness to the assimilation of Corelli's language and the international openness of the Italian instrumental school.
Briciole di storia
Professional diner
In Florence, in the early 1700s, Fagiuoli was a regular at the dinners of the nobles, who invited him to delight in his sparkling replies. He would arrive, sit down, and serve up jokes and improvised octaves. He paid the bill in wit, not in florins.
Pubblico dominio (Commons)
