Vittorio Baldini | |
|---|---|
| Died | (1618-02-21)21 February 1618 |
| Occupation(s) | Italianprinter and engraver |
Vittorio Baldini (died 21 February 1618) was an Italian printer and engraver. He started publishing inVenice, where he was born, and later moved toFerrara, joining the court of DukeAlfonso II d'Este in mid-to-late 1582, where he was the official ducal music printer. He may have met the duke throughGiulio Cesare Brancaccio, whose translation and commentary onJulius Caesar'sCommentarii de Bello Gallico Baldini printed in early 1582.[1]
His first work as ducal music printer, and indeed his first print of music, was an anthology ofmadrigals,Il lauro secco (1582), written by the most renowned composers ofRome and Northern Italy, as well as introducing important new composers, and was inspired byLaura Peverara.[2] He later printed the anthologyIl lauro verde (1583), meant as a companion toIl lauro secco, and presented to Peverara on the occasion of her marriage in late February 1583.[3]
Baldini published very little music for Alfonso between 1586 and 1594, and began publishing regularly again 1594–1596, when he printed anthologies containing madrigals by some of the most important madrigalists of theseconda pratica, includingLuzzasco Luzzaschi,Carlo Gesualdo, andAlfonso Fontanelli, all of whom were part of the Este court at the time. These books, however, may have been funded by Gesualdo, who was at the court for his marriage toLeonora d'Este.[4] During the period Baldini printed little for Alfonso; he did print a number of treatises on music and art, including those byGiovanni Battista Aleotti andErcole Bottrigari. After Ferrara devolved to the papacy, Baldini published under the imprint of "Episcopal or State Printer and Printer to the Academy of the Intrepidi."[5] During this period he printed descriptions and texts for variousintermezzos and other theatrical entertainments.
Baldini's works are set apart by the beauty of the lettering, the finery of their engraving, beautiful title pages, and high-quality paper. He used a number of signs, including a bell,Daedalus, and the sun.[5]
