Harmony. The Second Courtyard, Palazzo Aldini Sanguinetti, Bananas and the 'Father of Acoustics', Bologna, Italy
One of the delights of Bologna is discovering the many 'hidden' courtyards and little secluded gardens. I chanced upon one of them on my visit to the utterly wonderful International Music Museum and Library. Friar Giambattista Martini (1706-1784), the founder of this great collection and one of the first theorists of counterpoint, was himself not a foremost composer, although he did write lots of music. His strength lies in his great knowledge of the history of music and his inspired collecting of everything pertaining to that great art. The museum contains a wonderful gallery of paintings of composers and musicians, of manuscripts, scores and printed musical books, and lots of instruments.
The palazzo now the home to that collection has a long and complicated history and its decorations are quite marvelous and fit well with music. The second courtyard - the main photo - is utterly handsome with its plantation of bananas against a great frescoed landscape - much in need of restoration - by Luigi Busatti (1763-1821). Note the cymbal striker in the background. That reminded me of Psalm 150, of course. And hence it seemed appropriate to include as an inset a photo of the frontispiece - in the museum - of Marin Mersenne's (1588-1648) Harmonie universelle, contentant la thèorie et la pratique de la musique (1636). Mersenne is often called the 'Father of Acoustics', and besides being a well-known mathematician he also wrote on the harmonics of vibrating strings. Think Guitars and Pianos and Violins and the likes. Mersenne, a Minim friar, knew the Bible well, and on that frontispiece referred to Psalm 70, 22, to underwrite his Universal Harmony. The secluded garden is surely and image of that ideal.
Harmony. The Second Courtyard, Palazzo Aldini Sanguinetti, Bananas and the 'Father of Acoustics', Bologna, Italy
One of the delights of Bologna is discovering the many 'hidden' courtyards and little secluded gardens. I chanced upon one of them on my visit to the utterly wonderful International Music Museum and Library. Friar Giambattista Martini (1706-1784), the founder of this great collection and one of the first theorists of counterpoint, was himself not a foremost composer, although he did write lots of music. His strength lies in his great knowledge of the history of music and his inspired collecting of everything pertaining to that great art. The museum contains a wonderful gallery of paintings of composers and musicians, of manuscripts, scores and printed musical books, and lots of instruments.
The palazzo now the home to that collection has a long and complicated history and its decorations are quite marvelous and fit well with music. The second courtyard - the main photo - is utterly handsome with its plantation of bananas against a great frescoed landscape - much in need of restoration - by Luigi Busatti (1763-1821). Note the cymbal striker in the background. That reminded me of Psalm 150, of course. And hence it seemed appropriate to include as an inset a photo of the frontispiece - in the museum - of Marin Mersenne's (1588-1648) Harmonie universelle, contentant la thèorie et la pratique de la musique (1636). Mersenne is often called the 'Father of Acoustics', and besides being a well-known mathematician he also wrote on the harmonics of vibrating strings. Think Guitars and Pianos and Violins and the likes. Mersenne, a Minim friar, knew the Bible well, and on that frontispiece referred to Psalm 70, 22, to underwrite his Universal Harmony. The secluded garden is surely and image of that ideal.