Francesco Landini (born around 1325 or 1335; died 2 September 1397) was a Florentine composer, poet, organist, singer, and instrument maker. He was also known by many other names. Landini was an important person in the music of the Trecento, a time period in Italian history.

Name

Francesco's name appears in many different forms in medieval writings and records. These include names such as Francesco degli Organi, Francesco il Cieco, Francesco da Firenze, Magister Franciscus de Florentia, Magister Franciscus Coecus Horghanista de Florentia (in the Squarcialupi Codex), Francesco degli orghani, and Cechus de Florentia.

Today’s scholars no longer believe Francesco was part of the Landini family. Instead, they use names like "Francesco degli Organi" or "Francesco degli orghani" (Francesco of the organs), "Francesco da Firenze" (Francesco of Firenze), and "Francesco il Cieco" or "Franciscus cecus" (Francesco the blind) to refer to the composer. The surname "Landini" or "Landino" is not found in any 14th-century sources or 15th-century references about Francesco. Evidence that once connected him to the Landini family through his presumed father, a painter described by Filippo Villani as someone who lived a simple life, is no longer accepted by art historians. It is also no longer believed that the painter Jacopo del Casentino (sometimes called "Jacopo Landino") was his father or that Cristoforo Landino was his great-nephew. The connection to the Landini family name began when Cristoforo Landino claimed Francesco as an ancestor linked to "Lando di Nato," which led to the use of the name "Francesco Landini" or "Landino" by scholars for centuries.

Context and sources

Details about Francesco's life are unclear, and few facts are known for sure. However, a clearer picture is forming as more research has been done, especially looking at records from Florence. Most of the original information about Francesco comes from a book written in 1385 about famous Florentine citizens by a historian named Filippo Villani, who was born around the year 1325.

Life and career

Landini was likely born in Florence, although Cristoforo Landino mentioned Fiesole as his birthplace. He became blind as a child due to smallpox, which led him to focus on music early in life. He learned to play many instruments, such as the lute, and also developed skills in singing, writing poetry, and composing music. Villani wrote in his records that Francesco invented musical instruments, including a stringed instrument called the 'syrena syrenarum,' which combined elements of the lute and psaltery. This instrument is believed to be the ancestor of the bandura.

By the early 1350s, Landini was already active in musical and cultural circles. He was likely close to the famous poet Petrarch. Villani noted that Francesco was given a crown of laurel by the King of Cyprus, who visited Venice during the 1360s. Before 1370, Landini may have lived in northern Italy. Evidence from his music supports this: a motet by a person named "Franciscus" was dedicated to Andrea Contarini, who was Doge of Venice from 1368 to 1382. His compositions are also frequently found in sources from northern Italy.

In 1361, Landini was employed as an organist at the Santa Trinità monastery in Florence. He continued this role at the church of San Lorenzo starting in 1365. Villani stated that Landini was involved in political and religious debates of his time but remained in favor with Florentine leaders. He knew many other Italian composers from the Trecento period, including Lorenzo da Firenze, with whom he worked at Santa Trinità, and Andreas da Florentia, whom he met in the 1370s. Around 1375, Andreas hired Landini to help build an organ at the Servite house in Florence. Receipts for wine consumed during the three days it took to tune the instrument are among the surviving records. Landini also helped construct the new organ at SS Annunziata in 1379 and was involved in another organ-building project at Florence Cathedral in 1387.

Landini is buried in the church of San Lorenzo in Florence. His tombstone, which was lost until the 19th century and is now displayed in the church, shows him holding a portative organ.

Music

Landini was the most productive composer of the Italian Trecento style, also known as the "Italian ars nova." Most of his music was secular, meaning it was not religious. Although records show he may have written sacred music, none of that music has survived. Surviving works include eighty-nine ballate for two voices, forty-two ballate for three voices, and nine ballate that exist in both two- and three-voice versions. In addition, a smaller number of madrigals have also survived. It is believed that Landini wrote the texts for many of his compositions. His surviving works, mostly preserved in the Squarcialupi Codex, make up nearly a quarter of all known 14th-century Italian music.

Legacy

Many writers from the past, such as Giovanni da Prato in his book Paradiso degli Alberti, describe Landini as a famous person not only for his music but also for his skills as a singer, poet, organist, and philosopher. This book, written in 1389, includes short stories, one of which may have been told by Landini himself. His music was so powerful that writers said "the sweetness of his melodies was such that hearts burst from their bosoms."

Landini is known as the namesake of the Landini cadence (or Landino sixth), a musical pattern where the sixth note of the scale is placed between the leading note and the tonic. However, this pattern was not created by Landini and is not unique to his music. It appears in many compositions from the same time period and even in works from the 15th century, such as songs by Gilles Binchois. Gherardello da Firenze is the earliest known composer to use this cadence, and his music has survived. Landini, however, used this pattern regularly in his own music. Because of this, it is correct to name the cadence after him, even though the term "Landini cadence" was not used until after the medieval era.