Life
Bellerofonte Castaldi was an Italian composer, theorbo player, lutenist, guitarist, singer, poet, and artist, born in 1580 in Collegara, near Modena, and died in Modena on 27 September 1649. One of the most colorful musicians of his day, he led an adventurous and often turbulent life; his outspoken, politically charged, and frequently licentious satirical writings against the established order repeatedly landed him in prison or exile. Bellerofonte Castaldi published Primo mazzetto di fiori musicalmente colti dal giardino bellerofonteo in Venice in 1623, a collection of monodies, duets, and trios with basso continuo, and a related book of solo Capricci for theorbo and tiorbino. He notably insisted on writing male vocal parts for natural tenor voices rather than castrati or falsettists.
Impact
Bellerofonte Castaldi expanded the expressive and technical vocabulary of the theorbo through his Capricci, unusual duet writing for theorbo and the smaller tiorbino, and idiosyncratic solo pieces blending virtuosic figuration with theatrical, improvisatory character. His combination of poetry, satire, and music-making embodies the flamboyant individualism of early Baroque Italian instrumental culture, and his rediscovered theorbo works have become valued repertoire in the modern early-music revival.
Repertoire
Capricci: Svegliatoio, 1622
A duet for theorbo and the smaller tiorbino from Castaldi’s Capricci, illustrating his experimental pairing of large and small theorboed lutes.
Bellerofonte Castaldi – Capricci: Svegliatoio — Performed by chathambaroque · theorbo and tiorbino duo
Tasteggio Soave, 1623
A gently exploratory solo theorbo piece from Castaldi’s 1623 print, prized for its intimate, improvisatory character.
Bellerofonte Castaldi, Tasteggio Soave, Evangelina Mascardi, Tiorba — Performed by Evangelina Mascardi · theorbo