Life
His entire creative trajectory, from training to full maturity, unfolded consistently and exclusively within the Baroque period, of which he was an acclaimed virtuoso at the European level.
Born in Pavia around 1615, Francesco Corbetta soon became famous as a guitar virtuoso, establishing himself as one of the most authoritative figures in the history of the instrument. He is considered one of the fathers of the Baroque guitar, capable of transforming it from a popular instrument into a protagonist of aristocratic salons and European courts.
In the 1630s and 1640s he traveled extensively between Bologna, Milan, and Brussels, where he published some of his early collections. His skill took him to the court of Louis XIV in Paris, where he collaborated with Jean-Baptiste Lully and contributed to the enrichment of French musical life. He subsequently lived in London as well, bringing his art to the English court.
His fame spread across the continent: Corbetta was known not only as a virtuoso performer but also as a pedagogue and master to young talents, including Robert de Visée, the future guitarist to Louis XIV. He died in Paris in 1681, leaving a musical legacy that long influenced European guitar literature.
Aneddoto
An Italian at the Sun King's court
His skill was such that Louis XIV welcomed him to Versailles as a court musician, a sign of the regard the French sovereign held for the art of the guitar.Works
Corbetta's principal publications include: De li scherzi armonici trovati e facilitati (Bologna, 1639), Varii Capricii per la ghittara spagnuola (Milan, 1643), Varii scherzi di sonate per la chitarra spagnuola (Brussels, 1648), and the lost Guitarra Española y sus diferencias de sones (circa 1650).
Subsequently, he published two fundamental collections in Paris: La Guitarre Royalle dédiée au Roy de la Grande Bretagne (1671) and La Guitarre Royalle dédiée au Roy Louis XIV (1674). In these works, the Baroque guitar is treated with a refinement that anticipates the chamber music of the following century.
Briciole di storia
Pubblico dominio (Commons)
