Life
Trained at the dawn of the Arcadian taste, his long career led him to reach full maturity in an era of great stylistic richness, in which Arcadian solidity fused with the new elegance of the Rococo and with the critical spirit of the Enlightenment.
Born in Siena in 1671 into a family linked to the Order of the Knights of Saint Stephen, Azzolino della Ciaia received his musical training in Pisa. He lived between Pisa, Florence, and Rome, collaborating on the composition of collective oratorios such as I Trionfi di Giosuè (1703) and Giosuè in Gabaon (ca. 1710). Having settled in Rome between 1713 and 1730, he later returned to Pisa, where he remained until his death.
An expert organ builder, in 1733 he designed the magnificent organ of Santo Stefano dei Cavalieri in Pisa, with five manuals and over sixty stops, one of the most imposing instruments of its time. He composed harpsichord sonatas of extraordinary modernity, characterized by harmonic daring, chromaticism, and virtuosity, anticipating traits of modern sensitivity.
He was also among the first in the history of keyboard music to write glissandi. His originality places him among the most innovative composers of his century, though he remains less known to the general public. He died in Pisa in 1755.
Aneddoto
The great organ of Pisa
The organ he designed at Santo Stefano dei Cavalieri, with five manuals and innovative solutions, astonished his contemporaries for its scale and modernity.Works
He composed collective oratorios (I Trionfi di Giosuè, Giosuè in Gabaon), six harpsichord sonatas printed in Rome in 1727, ricercars, and contrapuntal pieces for organ. His keyboard repertoire combines rigor and imagination, with experimentations that make him an original figure of the Italian musical eighteenth century.
Briciole di storia
Pubblico dominio (Commons)
