In his publications, Luzzasco Luzzaschi (c. 1545-1607) presents himself, rather modestly as the “Organist of the Serene Highness Duke of Ferrara”. Accordingly, Luzzaschi’s reputation today is similarly modest; he is known, if at all, thanks only to the music he composed for the Concerto delle Dame – an ensemble of virtuoso female singers at the d’Este court in Ferrara. And yet, when his entire oeuvre is explored, one discovers that his music and influence are greater than could have been imagined. In fact, Luzzaschi was both musically and historically one of the central musical figures of the late Renaissance.
