Stefano Pesori
Stefano Pesori (fl.1648 in Mantua – 1675) was a 17th-century Italian 5-course Baroque guitarist, composer, and teacher.
Pesori was a renowned guitarist in his time, and had upwards of 140 students, including high-ranking nobility.[1] He is not well known today. He worked as a composer, teacher, and performer in the 17th century, using both written notation and Alfabeto – the precursor to modern “lead-sheet”systems – that associated letters with certain harmonies.
Stefano Pesori published five books in his lifetime. Graham Wade remarks that they, “employ[ed] both strummed and plucked styles, including battute accompaniments to songs and dances” .[2] Many of these books heavily borrow material from one another, as shown by evidence that he used identical engraving plates for multiple sections of many of his works.[3] The books contain lists of his students, often arranged according to their social status.[4] His prototypical student would have been novices – as evidenced by the book's largely simplistic music. These encompass music in lower positions of the instrument that avoided complex textures, rhythms, and techniques.[5] Some of his more famous contemporaries – such as Giovanni Paolo Foscarini (fl. 1600–1647) and Francesco Corbetta (c. 1615 – 1681), paved the way for the Guitar's popular emergence in the coming centuries.
Writings[edit]
- Galeria Musicale (Verona, 1648)[5]
- Lo Scrigno Armonico (Mantua, 1640)[5]
- Toccate di Chitarriglia (Verona, 1660)[5]
- I Concerti Armonici di Chitarriglia (Verona, 1645)[5]
- Ricreationi Armoniche overo Toccate di Chitarriglia (Verona)[5]
References[edit]
- ^ Boye, Gary. "Stefano Pesori." (2014). Oxford Music Online. Web. 16 Nov. 2014.
- ^ Wade, Graham.A Concise History of the Classic Guitar. Pacific, MO: Mel Bay Publications, 2001.
- ^ Tyler, James, and Sparks, Paul. Guitar and Its Music: From the Renaissance to the Classical Era. Oxford, GBR: Oxford University Press, UK, 2002. ProQuest ebrary. Web. 17 November 2014. Copyright © 2002. Oxford University Press, UK. All rights reserved.
- ^ Boye, Web.
- ^ a b c d e f Tyler, Sparks. Web.