BASSANI, GIOVANNI BATTISTA  

Born in Padua, Bassani centred much of his musical activity on Ferrara, where he directed music at the cathedral for some 25 years. He holds a position of some importance in Italian music of the middle Baroque period (the second half of the 17th century).

Vocal Music

Bassani contributed to sacred and secular repertoire, to the former through oratorios and liturgical settings and to the latter through operas now lost. His secular songs include the comic lament Il musico svogliato (‘The Reluctant Musician’), in which a singer offers every excuse to avoid performance.

Instrumental Music

The relatively small amount of instrumental music by Bassani includes a series of compositions for the violin, an instrument on which he was a proficient.