Bernardo Pasquini

Bernardo Pasquini (1637-1710), Italian musical composer, was born at Massa in Val di Nievole (Tuscany) on the 8th of December 1637. He was a pupil of Marcantonio Cesti and Loreto Vittori. He came to Rome while still young and entered the service of Prince Borghese; later he became organist of St Maria Maggiore. He enjoyed the protection of Queen Christina of Sweden, in whose honour an opera of his, Dov' e amore e pieta, was produced in 1679. During Alessandro Scarlatti's second sojourn in Rome (1703-1708), Pasquini and Corelli were frequently associated with him in musical performances, especially in connexion with the Arcadian Academy, of which all three were members. Pasquini died at Rome on the 22nd of November 1710, and was buried in the church of St Lorenzo in Lucina. He deserves remembrance as a vigorous composer for the harpsichord; and an interesting account of his music for this instrument will be found in J. S. Shedlock's The Pianoforte Sonata.