Francesco Geminiani

Francesco Geminiani (c. 1680 - September 17, 1762), Italian violinist, was born at Lucca.

He received lessons in music from Alessandro Scarlatti, and studied the violin under Lunati (Gobbo) and afterwards under Corelli. In 1714 he arrived in London, where he was taken under the special protection of the earl of Essex, and made a living by teaching and writing music.

In 1715 he played his violin concertos with Handel at the English court. After visiting Paris and residing there for some time, he returned to England in 1755. In 1761 he went to Dublin, where a servant robbed him of a musical manuscript on which he had bestowed much time and labour. His vexation at this loss is said to have hastened his death.

He appears to have been a first-rate violinist, but most of his compositions are dry and deficient in melody. His Art of Flaying the Violin is a good work of its kind, but his Guida harmonica is an inferior production. He published a number of solos for the violin, three sets of violin concertos, twelve violintrios, The Art of Accompaniment on the Harpsichord, Organ, etc., Lessons for the Harpsichord and some other works.

This entry was originally from the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.