Fiorenzo Maschera (1540–1584) was an Italian composer
and organist of Brescia Cathedral, known for his organ
pieces. Fiorenzo probably learned from his father
Bartolomeo Maschera, who was employed as a Latin
teacher and nurse of music at the cathedral in Brescia.
Lessons, which he is said to have received from Claudio
Merulo according to the testimony of Costanzo
Antegnati, are to be doubted, since Merula worked in
Brescia when Maschera was in Venice. Rather, they were
competitors for the post...(+)
Fiorenzo Maschera (1540–1584) was an Italian composer
and organist of Brescia Cathedral, known for his organ
pieces. Fiorenzo probably learned from his father
Bartolomeo Maschera, who was employed as a Latin
teacher and nurse of music at the cathedral in Brescia.
Lessons, which he is said to have received from Claudio
Merulo according to the testimony of Costanzo
Antegnati, are to be doubted, since Merula worked in
Brescia when Maschera was in Venice. Rather, they were
competitors for the post of organist at St. Mark's
Basilica in Venice. Maschera received his first job as
organist in the “Santo Spirito in Isola” monastery
near Venice. On August 22, 1557, he became organist at
the Brescia Cathedral with an initial salary of 180
lire, which was replaced by a baroque new building in
the early 17th century. On April 6, 1573, Maschera
received a lower ecclesiastical consecration from the
Bishop of Cremona, which should probably help him to
generate income from clerical benefices. In July 1584
Costanzo Antegnati (1549–1624) was appointed as his
successor. Maschera is often mentioned in connection
with the violin maker Gasparo da Salò, who worked in
Brescia, as an excellent gambist. So Ottavio Rossi
(1570–1630) wrote in his Elogi historici di Bresciani
illustri (1620), p. 497, about Maschera Nel tasteggiar
le viole fù giudicato inimmitabile.
Maschera remained best known for his 21 four-part
instrumental canzones, which appeared in 1582 under the
title Libro primo de canzoni: da sonare a quattro voci.
They are among the oldest surviving Italian works that
were published specifically for an instrumental
ensemble and not, as is customary, come from vocal
canons. Reproductions of the book appeared in 1584 and
1588. However, two of the canzons were already found in
the "Tabolatura citthara" by Paolo Virchi (1551–1610)
published in 1574. Other works by Maschera were printed
between 1574 and 1617 in various anthologies in Italy
and Germany. The four-part arrangement of the works
permits execution on a keyboard instrument, but it is
obvious that the works were intended for an
instrumental ensemble, especially if one takes into
account Maschera's reputation as a gambist and
violinist.
Canzonas are strictly instrumental works whose height
of popularity was from around 1584 (the first
publication of Florentio Maschera's Libro Primo de
canzoni, though a few single works appear in
anthologies before then) until the mid 17th century.
The instrumental term canzona changed genders from the
masculine canzon, and many are given simple
feminine-gendered titles, such as "La Bevilacqua"
(Canale), "La Capriola" (Maschera), "La Spiritata"
(Gabrieli), etc. Many start with a simple dactylic
rhythm characteristic of the earlier French vocal
chansons (a semibreve followed by two minims), though
the term was fluid in the period, and many pieces now
called ricercars were published in books of canzonas. A
frequent term used from the earliest publications was
"canzoni per sonare" or "canzoni da sonare" ("songs to
be played"). Another term occasionally used (for
instance, by Banchieri) is "canzon alla francesce"
("French-type song"). Eventually the form morphed into
the "canzona sonata" (a played song), followed by the
mid-baroque "sonata" (something simply "played"). Do
not confuse with Canzoni; see also Canzonets,
Canzonettas.
Source: Wikipedia
(https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florentio_Maschera).
Although originally written for Pipe Organ, I created
this Interpretation of the Canzona in A Minor for
String Quartet (2 Violins, Viola & Cello)
