The Bassanos: Venetian Musicians and Instrument Makers in England, 1531-1665 [Hardcover]

David Lasocki (Author), Roger Prior (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0859679438 | ISBN-13: 978-0859679435 | Publication Date: June 1995

In the 1530s, five brothers from the Bassano family, outstanding wind players and instrument makers, emigrated from Venice to England. This is a study of these brothers, their sons and daughter and their grandsons. The first half of the book discusses the everyday affairs of the family - their relationships, religion, property, law suits, finances and standing in society. Two chapters are devoted to Emilia Bassano, whose identification as the "dark lady" of Shakespeare's sonnets is supported by a wealth of evidence. The second half of the book discusses the family's musical activities. At the English court, the Bassanos founded a recorder consort that lasted 90 years; they also played in the flute/cornett and shawn/sackbutt consorts. As instrument makers their fame extended throughout Europe. The book's appendices present information on the Venetian branch of the family and the musical activities of the English branch since 1665.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 324 pages
• Publisher: Scolar Pr (June 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0859679438
• ISBN-13: 978-0859679435
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,561,864 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Bassanos: Venetian Musicians and Instrument Makers, April 10, 2000

By 

D. J. Young (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Bassanos: Venetian Musicians and Instrument Makers in England, 1531-1665 (Hardcover)

Being a direct descendent of Anthony Bassano through the marriage of his daughter Lucrettia to Nicholas Lanier, I found the book to be fascinatingly informative of the personal relationships of the families and the times in which they lived. Henry VIII recruiting musicians from Italy and France created a musical court that rivaled any in Europe. Tlhe authors researching countless archives and being able to assemble a very flowing and readable book is an achievement in itself. Anyone who is a student of the Renaissance would enjoy reading this accurately detailed account of this denizened family from Italy in England.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Bassanos: enetian Musicians and Instrument Makers in England, 1531-1665, September 3, 2005

By 

C. Moore - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Bassanos: Venetian Musicians and Instrument Makers in England, 1531-1665 (Hardcover)

This is an excellent history of the Bassanos in England during the years 1531-1665, especially in respect to their positions in the royal household and their activities as performers, composers, and instrument makers. For genealogy reserchers, such as this reader, the information isn't as complete as one might wish (no detail info about ancestors prior to about 1500 that has been documented), and there has been no effort to trace more recent descendants, nor was this intended (the object of the work was to accomplish the aims stated in the title). However, there are good leads for further research on the family in the notes section, where sources are listed for the family data that has been included.