Life
A hinge figure between two eras, his training was completed at the height of late-sixteenth-century Mannerism, while his artistic maturity was fully expressed in the first phase of the Baroque.
Born between 1560 and 1565 in Serravalle, near Treviso, Diomede Catone was forced with his family to leave Italy for religious reasons and settled in Poland. He received his musical training in Krakow, where he soon entered the service of the royal court.
From 1588 to 1593 he was a lutenist at the court of Sigismund III Vasa. He composed music for wedding ceremonies and celebrations, also receiving bequests from aristocratic families such as the Kostkas. In 1593–94 he followed the king to Sweden, spreading Italian music in Scandinavia. He is considered one of the first Italians to have gone to Sweden as a professional musician.
In the following years, he lived in Danzig, continuing to compose and publish. His production combines the Renaissance style with new Baroque elements and incorporates melodies from Polish folk tradition. He died in Danzig in 1627.
Aneddoto
The king's lutenist
In 1591 he wrote the music for Jan Kostka's wedding in Świecie, an event that solidified his fame among the Polish aristocracy.Works
Catone's production includes fantasies, canzonas, and dances for lute. His collections, published in Poland and Germany, show a fusion of Italian style and Polish melodies. A fantasy attributed to him is preserved today in facsimile and represents a precious document of the European lutenist repertoire.
Briciole di storia
Pubblico dominio (Commons)
