Picchi, Giovanni
Picchi, Giovanni
Picchi, Giovanni, Italian organist, lutenist, harpsichordist, and composer; b. Venice, 1572; d. there, May 19,1643. He pursued his career in Venice, where he was first active as a performer and composer of dance music. About 1606 he became organist at the church of Santa Maria de’ Frari, a position he retained for the rest of his life. He also served as organist of the confraternity of the Scuola Grande di San Rocco from 1623. He pub. the vols. Intavolatura di balli d’arpicordo...novamente corrette, & ristampate (Venice, Ist ed. not extant; 2nd ed., 1621) and Canzoni da sonar con ogni sorte d’istromenti a due, tre, quattro, sei et otto voci, con il suo basso continuo (Venice, 1625), both of which contain attractive scores. His fine Toccata for harpsichord was included in the Fitzwilliam Virginal Book.
—Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire