Carlo Farina was an Italian

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

 composer

Composer

A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...

, conductor

Conducting

Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...

 and violin

Violin

The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....

ist of the Baroque

Baroque music

Baroque music describes a style of Western Classical music approximately extending from 1600 to 1760. This era follows the Renaissance and was followed in turn by the Classical era...

 era.

Life

Farina was born at Mantova. He presumably received his first lessons from his father, who was sonatore di viola at the court of the Gonzaga

House of Gonzaga

The Gonzaga family ruled Mantua in Northern Italy from 1328 to 1708.-History:In 1433, Gianfrancesco I assumed the title of Marquis of Mantua, and in 1530 Federico II received the title of Duke of Mantua. In 1531, the family acquired the Duchy of Monferrato through marriage...

 in Mantova. Later he got further education probably by Salomone Rossi and Giovanni Battista Buonamente

Giovanni Battista Buonamente

Giovanni Battista Buonamente was an Italian composer and violinist in the early Baroque era. He served the Gonzagas in Mantua until c. 1622, and from c. 1626 to 1630 served the Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor in Vienna. Notably, in 1627 he played for the coronation festivities...

. From 1626 to 1629, he worked as concertmaster in Dresden

Dresden

Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....

. In Dresden he worked with Heinrich Schütz

Heinrich Schütz

Heinrich Schütz was a German composer and organist, generally regarded as the most important German composer before Johann Sebastian Bach and often considered to be one of the most important composers of the 17th century along with Claudio Monteverdi...

, who interested him in composing. From 1629 to 1631, he was a prominent member of the electoral court orchestra in Bonn

Bonn

Bonn is the 19th largest city in Germany. Located in the Cologne/Bonn Region, about 25 kilometres south of Cologne on the river Rhine in the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, it was the capital of West Germany from 1949 to 1990 and the official seat of government of united Germany from 1990 to 1999....

, until he returned to Italy, where he worked in Parma

Parma

Parma is a city in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna famous for its ham, its cheese, its architecture and the fine countryside around it. This is the home of the University of Parma, one of the oldest universities in the world....

 and later in Lucca

Lucca

Lucca is a city and comune in Tuscany, central Italy, situated on the river Serchio in a fertile plainnear the Tyrrhenian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Lucca...

 until 1635. In 1635 he held position at the court of the Prince of Massa

Massa

Massa is a town and comune in Tuscany, central Italy, the administrative centre of the province of Massa-Carrara. It is located in the Frigido River Valley, near the Alpi Apuane, some 5 kilometers from the Tyrrhenian Sea....

 and between 1636 and 1637 in Dantzig

Dantzig

- People :* Tobias Dantzig , mathematician from Latvia, father of George Dantzig* George Dantzig , American mathematician who introduced the simplex algorithm* David van Dantzig , Dutch mathematician...

. From 1638 he lived in Vienna

Vienna

Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...

, where he died of plague probably a year later.

He is considered to be one of the earliest violin virtuosos and he had many contributions to violin technique. For example, in his work Capriccio Stravagante (1627) he used violin to imitate animal sounds like dogs barking or cats fighting. He is generally credited with the invention of the double-stop.

Musical lineage aside, Carlo Farina was also bequeathed with the Italian Royal title of Count of Reggio di Calabria via Charles Emmanuel II, Duke of Savoy. He was head of music for the Royal Court of the Prince of Messa from 1626-1630.

Work

During his stay in Dresden he published five volumes with various pieces, among them sonatas for 2, 3, 4 instruments and basso continuo. The pieces have often the same program as the title. Thus he uses Polish dance rhythms in the Sonata La Polaca or Hungarian motifs in La Cingara.

Compositions

All published in Dresden:

• Libro delle pavane, gagliarde, brand: mascharata, aria franzesa, volte, balletti, sonate, canzone (1626)
• Ander Theil newer Paduanen, Gagliarden, Couranten, französischen Arien (1627, includes a set of Capriccio stravagante)
• Il terzo libro delle pavane, gagliarde, brand: mascherata, arie franzese, volte, corrente, sinfonie (1627)
• Il quarto libro delle pavane, gagliarde, balletti, volte, passamezi, sonate, canzon (1628)
• Fünffter Theil newer Pavanen, Brand: Mascharaden, Balletten, Sonaten (1628)

Additionally, 7 short ballets survive in a manuscript copy.

External links