Francesco Canova da
Milano (1497-1543)
Portrait presumed to be of Francesco da Milano, Biblioteca Ambrosiana,
Milan
Francesco Canova da Milano was the
foremost lutenist of the Italan Renaissance and one of the most important
composers of instrumental music in sixteenth-century Europe.
Although born in Milan, or, more probably,
in the Milanese suburb of Monza, in August, 1497, Francesco went to Rome
at an early age and served, as lutenist, Popes Leo X, Clement VII, and
Paul III, as well as Cardinals Ippolito de' Medici and Alessandro Farnese.
His fame was immense, his works were published throughout Europe, and he
was designated "Il Divino" by his contemporaries, a title he shared with
none other than Michelangelo Buonarroti. One hundred twenty-four of his
works survive in the form of fantasies, ricercars, and intabulations of
vocal music.
Francesco was buried at the church
of Santa Maria della Scala in Milan, which was destroyed in the second
half of the eighteenth-century to make way for the construction of the
La Scala Opera House. Today, he is one of the most appreciated composers
of music for the lute, and his music, of great beauty and consistently
high quality, is performed frequently.
Two portraits have survived which may
possibly represent Francesco. One, by an anonymous author, is preserved
at the Biblioteca Ambrosiana in Milan, the other, recently attributed to
Giulio Campi, is at the Pinacoteca Civica in Como.
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