Marco Aurelio Zani de Ferranti

Marco Aurelio Felice Luigi Giovanni Battista Zani de Ferranti (born December 23, 1801 in the parish of Santo Salvatore of Bologna , † November 28, 1878 in Pisa ) was an Italian guitarist , pianist , composer and poet .

At the age of twelve, Zani de Ferranti, son of Giovanni Battista and Maria Franzaroli, began to learn to play the violin in Lucca and was already an excellent violinist within four years when he changed instruments and, when he returned to Bologna, learned to play the guitar. Here, too, he achieved championship within a few years. In 1820 his real guitarist career began in Paris. In 1821 he took a job as a librarian in St. Petersburg, where he also appeared as a guitarist until 1824. He was expelled from Russia after he was arrested there on suspicion of leading a conspiracy and sentenced to four months in prison. In August 1827 he moved to Brussels, where he - as he had in Russia - rejoined politically radical and liberal circles. He published the poetic work Canto Eleuterico here under the code name Marco Bolognese. The liberal journalist Louis de Potter was one of his closer circle of friends . He later moderated his political activities and became a permanent guest in the palace and castle of Marquis Giuseppe Arconati-Visconti, where he came into contact with influential people in Brussels. On April 24, 1830 he married his pupil Trinette Julie van Bever, the daughter of a wealthy painting dealer. Their son César was born on February 7, 1831.

Concert tours have taken him to Holland , England , France and America . His son Cesare moved to England and was the father of Sebastian Ziani de Ferranti .

Zani de Ferranti's work includes a variety of compositions for guitar. He was regarded as a great guitar virtuoso of his time and received the title "Honorary Guitarist of the King of the Belgians".

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• The King's guitarist: The life and times of Marco Aurelio Zani de Ferranti , par Marcus GS Van de Cruys, Wijnegem 2005, Homunculus edition
• Marc Van de Cruys: The Paganini of the guitar. Marco Aurelio Zani de Ferranti. In: Guitar & Laute Volume 9, 1987, No. 4, pp. 17-25 and 37-39, No. 5, pp. 49-52, Volume 10, 1988, No. 4, pp. 20-24.