Jeronimo Bassano
Encyclopedia
Jeronimo Bassano was an Italian
musician who is noteworthy for having been head of a family of musicians — Anthony Bassano
, Jacomo, Alvise, Jasper, John and Baptista — who moved from Venice
to England and the household of Henry VIII
to serve the court. Jeronimo himself never moved, however, but was listed in Venice as a "Maestro of the trumpet
s and shawm
s." It is not known whether he was related to the composer Giovanni Bassano
.
Jeronimo was the son of Baptista "Piva" of Bassano del Grappa
, a town 35 miles from Venice
. Baptista was a musician who played the piva
, a small bagpipe. He was the son of Andrea de Crespano who was from the village of Crespano, about nine miles east of Bassano. Andrea, Baptista and Jeronimo were all described as musicians and musical instrument makers. At the beginning of the 16th century, Jeronimo moved from Bassano to Venice where he was described as "Maestro Hieronimo", piffero
player to the Doge of Venice
between 1506 and 1512. The historian A.L. Rowse in his correspondence to The Times
in 1973 claimed that the Bassanos were Jewish and Dr. David Lasocki of Indiana University
claimed in his 1995 book that the family were converted Jews. However, Giulio M. Ongaro in his "New Documents on the Bassano Family" in Early Music and Alessio Ruffatti (who did research in the archives of Bassano del Grappa
assisted by Professor Pier Cesare Ioly Zorattini ) both argued that the Bassanos who moved to England were not of Jewish origin.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
musician who is noteworthy for having been head of a family of musicians — Anthony Bassano
Anthony Bassano
Anthony Bassano was a 16th century Italian musician.Bassano, born in Bassano del Grappa, Italy, was one of six sons of Jeronimo Bassano who moved from Venice to England to the household of Henry VIII to serve the court, probably in 1540...
, Jacomo, Alvise, Jasper, John and Baptista — who moved from Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
to England and the household of Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
to serve the court. Jeronimo himself never moved, however, but was listed in Venice as a "Maestro of the trumpet
Trumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
s and shawm
Shawm
The shawm was a medieval and Renaissance musical instrument of the woodwind family made in Europe from the 12th century until the 17th century. It was developed from the oriental zurna and is the predecessor of the modern oboe. The body of the shawm was usually turned from a single piece of wood,...
s." It is not known whether he was related to the composer Giovanni Bassano
Giovanni Bassano
Giovanni Bassano was an Italian Venetian School composer and cornettist of the late Renaissance and early Baroque eras. He was a key figure in the development of the instrumental ensemble at St. Mark's basilica, and left a detailed book on instrumental ornamentation, which is a rich resource for...
.
Jeronimo was the son of Baptista "Piva" of Bassano del Grappa
Bassano del Grappa
Bassano del Grappa is a city and comune in the province of Vicenza, region Veneto, in northern Italy. It bounds the communes of Cassola, Marostica, Solagna, Pove del Grappa, Romano d'Ezzelino, Campolongo sul Brenta, Conco, Rosà, Cartigliano and Nove...
, a town 35 miles from Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
. Baptista was a musician who played the piva
Piva
Piva may refer to:* Piva , a river in Montenegro* Piva, Montenegro, a region in Montenegro and the clan* Piva language, a member of the Piva-Banoni languages* Piva , an Italian folk instrument* Piva , a Renaissance dance...
, a small bagpipe. He was the son of Andrea de Crespano who was from the village of Crespano, about nine miles east of Bassano. Andrea, Baptista and Jeronimo were all described as musicians and musical instrument makers. At the beginning of the 16th century, Jeronimo moved from Bassano to Venice where he was described as "Maestro Hieronimo", piffero
Piffero
The piffero or piffaro is a double reed musical instrument with a conical bore, of the oboe family.It is used to play music in the tradition of the quattro province, an area of mountains and valleys in the north-west Italian Apennines which includes parts of the four provinces of Alessandria,...
player to the Doge of Venice
Doge of Venice
The Doge of Venice , often mistranslated Duke was the chief magistrate and leader of the Most Serene Republic of Venice for over a thousand years. Doges of Venice were elected for life by the city-state's aristocracy. Commonly the person selected as Doge was the shrewdest elder in the city...
between 1506 and 1512. The historian A.L. Rowse in his correspondence to The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
in 1973 claimed that the Bassanos were Jewish and Dr. David Lasocki of Indiana University
Indiana University
Indiana University is a multi-campus public university system in the state of Indiana, United States. Indiana University has a combined student body of more than 100,000 students, including approximately 42,000 students enrolled at the Indiana University Bloomington campus and approximately 37,000...
claimed in his 1995 book that the family were converted Jews. However, Giulio M. Ongaro in his "New Documents on the Bassano Family" in Early Music and Alessio Ruffatti (who did research in the archives of Bassano del Grappa
Bassano del Grappa
Bassano del Grappa is a city and comune in the province of Vicenza, region Veneto, in northern Italy. It bounds the communes of Cassola, Marostica, Solagna, Pove del Grappa, Romano d'Ezzelino, Campolongo sul Brenta, Conco, Rosà, Cartigliano and Nove...
assisted by Professor Pier Cesare Ioly Zorattini ) both argued that the Bassanos who moved to England were not of Jewish origin.