Ferdinando III de' Medici
Encyclopedia
Ferdinando III de' Medici (9 August 1663 – 31 October 1713) was the elder son of Cosimo III de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany
, and Marguerite Louise d'Orléans
. Ferdinando was heir to the Grand Duchy of Tuscany
, with the title Grand Prince, from his father's accession in 1670 until his death in 1713. He is remembered today primarily as a patron of music. An excellent musician himself (sometimes called "the Orpheus
of princes"), he recruited top musicians to Florence and thus made it an important musical center of his time. Through his patronage of Bartolomeo Cristofori
, Ferdinando made possible the invention (1700) of the piano
.
, a granddaughter of Maria de' Medici. When Ferdinando's parents separated in 1675, his mother (who disdained her husband only slightly more than Florence did) returned to Paris, where she was supposed to be restricted to a monastery
in Montmartre
. Ferdinando became a rebellious youth, who disagreed intensely with his father on every subject. He was placed under the care of his grandmother Vittoria della Rovere
.
Ferdinando had a great affinity with his vivacious mother. He was handsome, a fine rider, a talented musician. He sang melodiously, and played the harpsichord. He was a master in counterpoint
which he studied under Gianmaria Paliardi of Genoa and various bow instruments which he studied under Piero Salvetti. He was known for his ability to play music at sight and afterwards repeat the piece faultlessly without looking at the music.
Aside from music, Ferdinando's other principal delight was in intimate liaisons and affairs, often with men. These included Petrillo, a musician, famous for his beauty and a Venetian castrato
by the name of Cecchino. His uncle Francesco Maria de' Medici
, only three years older, had a strong influence on his life.
In 1689 Ferdinando married to Violante of Bavaria
, the plain daughter of the elector of Bavaria Ferdinand
and Adelaide of Savoy
. Although she liked music also and loved him, her feelings were not returned by Ferdinando and the marriage was unhappy and barren.
In 1696 Ferdinando sought recreation in Venice. Ferdinando fell in love with a female vocalist called La Bambagia. It is presumed that during the Carnival of Venice
, Ferdinando contracted syphilis
. Victoria Tarquini, called La Bombace, the wife of the concertmaster Jean-Baptiste Farinel became the mistress of Ferdinando. (She may have been a daughter of Robert Cambert
and had an affair with Handel.)
By 1710 his health had begun to fail, and the annual operatic productions at Pratolino under his aegis (see below) ceased.
Ferdinando died in 1713, having not produced any children. His father ruled a number of years after him, and was succeeded on his death by Ferdinando's younger brother Gian Gastone, who likewise died childless. The lack of fecundity in the family ultimately led to a crisis: following Gian Gastone's death in 1737, the great powers of Europe reassigned the Grand Duchy to Francis
, the husband of Maria Theresia, thus ending the independence of the Tuscan state.
He was a connoisseur
: he bought Madonnas by Raphael
and Andrea del Sarto
. He also patronized Giuseppe Maria Crespi, Anton Domenico Gabbiani
and Sebastiano Ricci
. Crespi was long employed by him at Pitti. Ferdinando organized the first public exhibition of fine arts to be held in Florence (1705, in the cloister of SS. Annunziata). Among poets he befriended Vincenzo da Filicaja and Benedetto Menzini
. Scipione Maffei's dedication to him of the Giornale de' Letterati (1710) is a proof of Ferdinando's widespread reputation.
But it was as a patron of music that Ferdinando was most distinguished. He kept a villa in Pratolino
, located some 12 km outside Florence
, (now called the Villa Demidoff after a later owner, Anatole Demidov
) which was home to many musical activities. From the years 1679 to 1710, there were annual operatic productions there, generally held in September. At first these were held in the grand salon, but starting in 1696 in a new theatre built on the third floor at Ferdinando's instigation, designed by Antonio Maria Ferri. Until 1686, the performances were supervised by Ferdinando's uncle Francesco Maria de' Medici
; after that year (when Francesco Maria became a cardinal) they were Ferdinando's responsibility.
Among the musicians Ferdinando invited to Florence were Alessandro
and Domenico
Scarlatti, Giacomo Antonio Perti
, Giovanni Legrenzi
, Giovanni Pagliardi, Carlo Pollaroli, Giuseppe Maria Orlandini
, Benedetto Marcello
and Bernardo Pasquini
.
George Frederic Handel and Alessandro Scarlatti
probably played on the instruments either in the Palazzo Pitti
, or in the Medicean country villa of Poggio a Caiano
or at Pratolino. Antonio Salvi
, the family doctor, wrote several libretto
s, used by Handel for his opera. Handel's Rodrigo (opera)
was first performed in Florence in 1708.
Ferdinando kept up correspondence with Alessandro Scarlatti about musical details in his operas, while producing five of his operas. In 1711 Antonio Vivaldi
dedicated his Estro Armonico
to him. Handel and Corelli
were well acquainted with Ferdinando's sister Anna Maria Luisa de' Medici
; Corelli dedicated to her the 12 concerti grossi. Handel would visit her also in Düsseldorf
during continental trips.
Ferdinando's most permanent legacy was the result of his decision in 1688 to hire Bartolomeo Cristofori
, a harpsichord builder from Padua
, as his keeper of musical instruments. (Ferdinando's collection was a large one, with over 75 items). The Prince's support of Cristofori included the money and time Cristofori needed to pursue his interests as an inventor. Cristofori responded with a series of new instruments. The first two, the oval spinet
(1690) and the spinettone
, were probably intended for Ferdinando to play the continuo part in musical productions at Pratolino. The third instrument Cristofori invented for Ferdinando was the piano
, which spread slowly at first (see Fortepiano
) but ultimately became one of the most important of all musical instruments. The invention of the piano is believed to have occurred in about 1700; Cristofori built several more pianos for Ferdinando during the remainder of the Prince's lifetime.
Cosimo III de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany
Cosimo III de' Medici was the penultimate Medici Grand Duke of Tuscany. He reigned from 1670 to 1723, and was the elder son of Grand Duke Ferdinando II. Cosimo's 53-year long reign, the longest in Tuscan history, was marked by a series of ultra-reactionary laws which regulated prostitution and...
, and Marguerite Louise d'Orléans
Marguerite Louise d'Orléans
Marguerite Louise d'Orléans was Grand Duchess of Tuscany, as the wife of Grand Duke Cosimo III de' Medici. Deprived of her lover, Charles V of Lorraine, and yearning for France, Marguerite Louise despised her husband and his family, whom she often quarrelled with and falsely suspected of...
. Ferdinando was heir to the Grand Duchy of Tuscany
Grand Duchy of Tuscany
The Grand Duchy of Tuscany was a central Italian monarchy that existed, with interruptions, from 1569 to 1859, replacing the Duchy of Florence. The grand duchy's capital was Florence...
, with the title Grand Prince, from his father's accession in 1670 until his death in 1713. He is remembered today primarily as a patron of music. An excellent musician himself (sometimes called "the Orpheus
Orpheus
Orpheus was a legendary musician, poet, and prophet in ancient Greek religion and myth. The major stories about him are centered on his ability to charm all living things and even stones with his music; his attempt to retrieve his wife from the underworld; and his death at the hands of those who...
of princes"), he recruited top musicians to Florence and thus made it an important musical center of his time. Through his patronage of Bartolomeo Cristofori
Bartolomeo Cristofori
Bartolomeo Cristofori di Francesco was an Italian maker of musical instruments, generally regarded as the inventor of the piano.-Life:...
, Ferdinando made possible the invention (1700) of the piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
.
Life
Ferdinando was born to Cosimo de' Medici and his wife Marguerite Louise d'OrléansMarguerite Louise d'Orléans
Marguerite Louise d'Orléans was Grand Duchess of Tuscany, as the wife of Grand Duke Cosimo III de' Medici. Deprived of her lover, Charles V of Lorraine, and yearning for France, Marguerite Louise despised her husband and his family, whom she often quarrelled with and falsely suspected of...
, a granddaughter of Maria de' Medici. When Ferdinando's parents separated in 1675, his mother (who disdained her husband only slightly more than Florence did) returned to Paris, where she was supposed to be restricted to a monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
in Montmartre
Montmartre
Montmartre is a hill which is 130 metres high, giving its name to the surrounding district, in the north of Paris in the 18th arrondissement, a part of the Right Bank. Montmartre is primarily known for the white-domed Basilica of the Sacré Cœur on its summit and as a nightclub district...
. Ferdinando became a rebellious youth, who disagreed intensely with his father on every subject. He was placed under the care of his grandmother Vittoria della Rovere
Vittoria della Rovere
Vittoria della Rovere was Grand Duchess of Tuscany as the wife of Grand Duke Ferdinando II. She gave her husband four children, two of which would survive infancy; the future Cosimo III, Tuscany's longest reigning monarch and Francesco Maria, a prince of the Church...
.
Ferdinando had a great affinity with his vivacious mother. He was handsome, a fine rider, a talented musician. He sang melodiously, and played the harpsichord. He was a master in counterpoint
Counterpoint
In music, counterpoint is the relationship between two or more voices that are independent in contour and rhythm and are harmonically interdependent . It has been most commonly identified in classical music, developing strongly during the Renaissance and in much of the common practice period,...
which he studied under Gianmaria Paliardi of Genoa and various bow instruments which he studied under Piero Salvetti. He was known for his ability to play music at sight and afterwards repeat the piece faultlessly without looking at the music.
Aside from music, Ferdinando's other principal delight was in intimate liaisons and affairs, often with men. These included Petrillo, a musician, famous for his beauty and a Venetian castrato
Castrato
A castrato is a man with a singing voice equivalent to that of a soprano, mezzo-soprano, or contralto voice produced either by castration of the singer before puberty or one who, because of an endocrinological condition, never reaches sexual maturity.Castration before puberty prevents a boy's...
by the name of Cecchino. His uncle Francesco Maria de' Medici
Francesco Maria de' Medici
Francesco Maria de' Medici was a member of the House of Medici. He was successively a Governor of Siena, cardinal and later the heir of the Duchies of Rovere and Montefeltro by right of his mother.-Biography:...
, only three years older, had a strong influence on his life.
In 1689 Ferdinando married to Violante of Bavaria
Violante of Bavaria
Violante Beatrice of Bavaria was Grand Princess of Tuscany as the wife of Grand Prince Ferdinando of Tuscany and Governor of Siena from 1717 until her death. Born a Duchess of Bavaria, the youngest child of Elector Ferdinand Maria, she married the heir to the Tuscan throne, Ferdinando de' Medici,...
, the plain daughter of the elector of Bavaria Ferdinand
Ferdinand Maria, Elector of Bavaria
Ferdinand Maria, Elector of Bavaria was a Wittelsbach ruler of Bavaria and an elector of the Holy Roman Empire from 1651 to 1679.-Biography:He was born in Munich...
and Adelaide of Savoy
Henriette Adelaide of Savoy
Henriette Adelaide of Savoy , was the wife of the Ferdinand Maria, Elector of Bavaria...
. Although she liked music also and loved him, her feelings were not returned by Ferdinando and the marriage was unhappy and barren.
In 1696 Ferdinando sought recreation in Venice. Ferdinando fell in love with a female vocalist called La Bambagia. It is presumed that during the Carnival of Venice
Carnival of Venice
The Carnival of Venice is an annual festival, held in Venice, Italy. The Carnival starts 40 days before easter and ends on Shrove Tuesday , the day before Ash Wednesday.-History:...
, Ferdinando contracted syphilis
Syphilis
Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the spirochete bacterium Treponema pallidum subspecies pallidum. The primary route of transmission is through sexual contact; however, it may also be transmitted from mother to fetus during pregnancy or at birth, resulting in congenital syphilis...
. Victoria Tarquini, called La Bombace, the wife of the concertmaster Jean-Baptiste Farinel became the mistress of Ferdinando. (She may have been a daughter of Robert Cambert
Robert Cambert
Robert Cambert was a French composer principally of opera. His opera Pomone was the first actual opera in French.Born in Paris in 1628, he studied music under Chambonnières, His first position was as organist at the church of St. Honor in Paris...
and had an affair with Handel.)
By 1710 his health had begun to fail, and the annual operatic productions at Pratolino under his aegis (see below) ceased.
Ferdinando died in 1713, having not produced any children. His father ruled a number of years after him, and was succeeded on his death by Ferdinando's younger brother Gian Gastone, who likewise died childless. The lack of fecundity in the family ultimately led to a crisis: following Gian Gastone's death in 1737, the great powers of Europe reassigned the Grand Duchy to Francis
Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor
Francis I was Holy Roman Emperor and Grand Duke of Tuscany, though his wife effectively executed the real power of those positions. With his wife, Maria Theresa, he was the founder of the Habsburg-Lorraine dynasty...
, the husband of Maria Theresia, thus ending the independence of the Tuscan state.
Legacy
Ferdinando's contemporary reputation rests on his role as patron of the arts.He was a connoisseur
Connoisseur
A connoisseur is a person who has a great deal of knowledge about the fine arts, cuisines, or an expert judge in matters of taste.Modern connoisseurship must be seen along with museums, art galleries and "the cult of originality"...
: he bought Madonnas by Raphael
Raphael
Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino , better known simply as Raphael, was an Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance. His work is admired for its clarity of form and ease of composition and for its visual achievement of the Neoplatonic ideal of human grandeur...
and Andrea del Sarto
Andrea del Sarto
Andrea del Sarto was an Italian painter from Florence, whose career flourished during the High Renaissance and early Mannerism. Though highly regarded during his lifetime as an artist senza errori , his renown was eclipsed after his death by that of his contemporaries, Leonardo da Vinci,...
. He also patronized Giuseppe Maria Crespi, Anton Domenico Gabbiani
Anton Domenico Gabbiani
Anton Domenico Gabbiani was an Italian painter and active in a late Baroque style.-Biography:Born in Florence, Gabbiani first apprenticed with the Medici court portrait painter Justus Sustermans, then with the Florentine Vincenzo Dandini; subsequently moved to Rome in 1673 he arrived in Rome,...
and Sebastiano Ricci
Sebastiano Ricci
Sebastiano Ricci was an Italian painter of the late Baroque school of Venice. About the same age as Piazzetta, and an elder contemporary of Tiepolo, he represents a late version of the vigorous and luminous Cortonesque style of grand manner fresco painting.-Early years:He was born in Belluno, son...
. Crespi was long employed by him at Pitti. Ferdinando organized the first public exhibition of fine arts to be held in Florence (1705, in the cloister of SS. Annunziata). Among poets he befriended Vincenzo da Filicaja and Benedetto Menzini
Benedetto Menzini
Benedetto Menzini was an Italian Roman Catholic priest and poet. In his satires he assails in acrid terms the hypocrisy prevailing in Tuscany in the last years of the Medici rule.-Life:...
. Scipione Maffei's dedication to him of the Giornale de' Letterati (1710) is a proof of Ferdinando's widespread reputation.
Villa di Pratolino
The Villa di Pratolino was a Renaissance patrician villa in Vaglia, Tuscany, Italy. It was mostly demolished in 1820: its remains are now part of Villa Demidoff, 12 km north of Florence, reached from the main road to Bologna.-History:...
, located some 12 km outside Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
, (now called the Villa Demidoff after a later owner, Anatole Demidov
Anatole Demidov
Count Anatoly Nikolaievich Demidov, 1st Prince of San Donato , was a Russian industrialist, diplomat and arts patron of the Demidov family.-Early life:...
) which was home to many musical activities. From the years 1679 to 1710, there were annual operatic productions there, generally held in September. At first these were held in the grand salon, but starting in 1696 in a new theatre built on the third floor at Ferdinando's instigation, designed by Antonio Maria Ferri. Until 1686, the performances were supervised by Ferdinando's uncle Francesco Maria de' Medici
Francesco Maria de' Medici
Francesco Maria de' Medici was a member of the House of Medici. He was successively a Governor of Siena, cardinal and later the heir of the Duchies of Rovere and Montefeltro by right of his mother.-Biography:...
; after that year (when Francesco Maria became a cardinal) they were Ferdinando's responsibility.
Among the musicians Ferdinando invited to Florence were Alessandro
Alessandro Scarlatti
Alessandro Scarlatti was an Italian Baroque composer especially famous for his operas and chamber cantatas. He is considered the founder of the Neapolitan school of opera. He was the father of two other composers, Domenico Scarlatti and Pietro Filippo Scarlatti.-Life:Scarlatti was born in...
and Domenico
Domenico Scarlatti
Giuseppe Domenico Scarlatti was an Italian composer who spent much of his life in the service of the Portuguese and Spanish royal families. He is classified as a Baroque composer chronologically, although his music was influential in the development of the Classical style...
Scarlatti, Giacomo Antonio Perti
Giacomo Antonio Perti
Giacomo Antonio Perti was an Italian composer of the Baroque era. He was mainly active at Bologna, where he was Maestro di Cappella for sixty years...
, Giovanni Legrenzi
Giovanni Legrenzi
Giovanni Legrenzi was an Italian composer of opera, vocal and instrumental music, and organist, of the Baroque era...
, Giovanni Pagliardi, Carlo Pollaroli, Giuseppe Maria Orlandini
Giuseppe Maria Orlandini
Giuseppe Maria Orlandini was an Italian baroque composer particularly known for his more than 40 operas and intermezzos...
, Benedetto Marcello
Benedetto Marcello
Benedetto Marcello was a Venetian composer, writer, advocate, magistrate, and teacher.-Life:...
and Bernardo Pasquini
Bernardo Pasquini
right|thumb|Bernardo PasquiniBernardo Pasquini was an Italian composer of opera and church music.He was born at Massa in Val di Nievole . He was a pupil of Antonio Cesti and Loreto Vittori...
.
George Frederic Handel and Alessandro Scarlatti
Alessandro Scarlatti
Alessandro Scarlatti was an Italian Baroque composer especially famous for his operas and chamber cantatas. He is considered the founder of the Neapolitan school of opera. He was the father of two other composers, Domenico Scarlatti and Pietro Filippo Scarlatti.-Life:Scarlatti was born in...
probably played on the instruments either in the Palazzo Pitti
Palazzo Pitti
The Palazzo Pitti , in English sometimes called the Pitti Palace, is a vast mainly Renaissance palace in Florence, Italy. It is situated on the south side of the River Arno, a short distance from the Ponte Vecchio...
, or in the Medicean country villa of Poggio a Caiano
Poggio a Caiano
Poggio a Caiano is a town and comune in the Province of Prato, Tuscany region Italy. The town lies 9 km south of the provincial capital of Prato.-The Medici villa:...
or at Pratolino. Antonio Salvi
Antonio Salvi
Antonio Salvi was an Italian physician, court poet and librettist. He was in the service of the ducal court in Florence and the favourite librettist of Prince Ferdinando de' Medici. Salvi was one of the developers of the opera seria.- Life :Salvi was a court physician in Florence for the De'...
, the family doctor, wrote several libretto
Libretto
A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata, or musical. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata, or even the story line of a...
s, used by Handel for his opera. Handel's Rodrigo (opera)
Rodrigo (opera)
Rodrigo is an opera in three acts composed by George Frideric Handel. Its original title was Vincer se stesso è la maggior vittoria . The opera is based on the historical figure of Rodrigo, the last Visigothic king of Hispania...
was first performed in Florence in 1708.
Ferdinando kept up correspondence with Alessandro Scarlatti about musical details in his operas, while producing five of his operas. In 1711 Antonio Vivaldi
Antonio Vivaldi
Antonio Lucio Vivaldi , nicknamed because of his red hair, was an Italian Baroque composer, priest, and virtuoso violinist, born in Venice. Vivaldi is recognized as one of the greatest Baroque composers, and his influence during his lifetime was widespread over Europe...
dedicated his Estro Armonico
L'estro Armonico
L'Estro Armonico, Op. 3, is a collection of twelve concertos for 1, 2 and 4 violins written by Antonio Vivaldi in 1711. It largely augmented the reputation of Vivaldi as Il Prete Rosso;...
to him. Handel and Corelli
Arcangelo Corelli
Arcangelo Corelli was an Italian violinist and composer of Baroque music.-Biography:Corelli was born at Fusignano, in the current-day province of Ravenna, although at the time it was in the province of Ferrara. Little is known about his early life...
were well acquainted with Ferdinando's sister Anna Maria Luisa de' Medici
Anna Maria Luisa de' Medici
Anna Maria Luisa de' Medici was the last scion of the House of Medici. A patron of the arts, she bequeathed the Medici's large art collection, including the contents of the Uffizi, Palazzo Pitti and the Medicean villas, which she inherited upon her brother Gian Gastone's death in 1737, and her...
; Corelli dedicated to her the 12 concerti grossi. Handel would visit her also in Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
during continental trips.
Ferdinando, Cristofori, and the piano
- Main article: Bartolomeo CristoforiBartolomeo CristoforiBartolomeo Cristofori di Francesco was an Italian maker of musical instruments, generally regarded as the inventor of the piano.-Life:...
Ferdinando's most permanent legacy was the result of his decision in 1688 to hire Bartolomeo Cristofori
Bartolomeo Cristofori
Bartolomeo Cristofori di Francesco was an Italian maker of musical instruments, generally regarded as the inventor of the piano.-Life:...
, a harpsichord builder from Padua
Padua
Padua is a city and comune in the Veneto, northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Padua and the economic and communications hub of the area. Padua's population is 212,500 . The city is sometimes included, with Venice and Treviso, in the Padua-Treviso-Venice Metropolitan Area, having...
, as his keeper of musical instruments. (Ferdinando's collection was a large one, with over 75 items). The Prince's support of Cristofori included the money and time Cristofori needed to pursue his interests as an inventor. Cristofori responded with a series of new instruments. The first two, the oval spinet
Oval spinet
The oval spinet is a type of harpsichord invented in the late 17th century by Bartolomeo Cristofori, the Italian instrument maker who later achieved fame for inventing the piano. The oval spinet was unusual for its shape, the arrangement of its strings, and for its mechanism for changing...
(1690) and the spinettone
Spinettone
The spinettone was a kind of harpsichord invented in the late 17th century by Bartolomeo Cristofori, who was later the inventor of the piano...
, were probably intended for Ferdinando to play the continuo part in musical productions at Pratolino. The third instrument Cristofori invented for Ferdinando was the piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, which spread slowly at first (see Fortepiano
Fortepiano
Fortepiano designates the early version of the piano, from its invention by the Italian instrument maker Bartolomeo Cristofori around 1700 up to the early 19th century. It was the instrument for which Haydn, Mozart, and the early Beethoven wrote their piano music...
) but ultimately became one of the most important of all musical instruments. The invention of the piano is believed to have occurred in about 1700; Cristofori built several more pianos for Ferdinando during the remainder of the Prince's lifetime.
Ancestors
Titles and styles
- 9 August 1663 – 23 May 1670 His Highness Prince Ferdinando de' Medici
- 23 May 1670 – 5 February 1691 His Highness The Grand Prince of Tuscany
- 5 February 1691 – 31 October 1713 His Royal Highness The Grand Prince of Tuscany