Giovanni Battista Fontana (composer)
Giovanni Battista Fontana (* 1589 in Brescia ; † October 7, 1630 in Padua ) was an Italian composer and violinist of the early Baroque.
Live and act
The only remaining references to his life and work come from the preface to his only known 18 sonatas, printed eleven years after his death, the Sonata a 1. 2. 3. per il violino, o cornetto, fagotto, chitarone, published in Venice in 1641 violoncino o simile altro istromento. The first six sonatas are for solo violin and bc, three sonatas for solo violin and bassoon and bc, further sonatas for two violins and bc. Along with the Affetti musicali by Biagio Marini, the collection is considered to be one of the early formative works in sonata literature.
In the preface, Fontanas Rome, Venice and Padua are named as places of activity. He is also referred to as "one of the most unique violin virtuosos that the age has seen". Cesario Gussago dedicated his Sonata a quattro from 1608 to him and the Zinkenist Lodovico Cornale .
According to the registry of the city of Padua, Fontana died on October 7, 1630 during a plague epidemic that struck northern Italy in 1630 and 1631.
Individual evidence
- ^ David van Ooijen: Giovanni Battista Fontana. (2002)
- ^ Thomas D. Dunn, Fontana, Giovanni Battista: Giovanni Battista Fontana (composer). In: Grove Music Online (English; subscription required).
Web links
- Works by and about Giovanni Battista Fontana in the catalog of the German National Library
- Sheet music and audio files by Giovanni Battista Fontana (composer) in the International Music Score Library Project
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Fontana, Giovanni Battista |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Italian violinist and early Baroque composer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1589 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Brescia |
| DATE OF DEATH | October 7, 1630 |
| Place of death | Padua |