no image
Tier 3 · vertical & regional
Lodovico Giustini
Person · male · Pistoia · born 1685 · died 1743 · recording since 1980
Italian composer
streamingdatabasedatabasedatabase
Listen on SpotifyYouTube Music
Also known as Джустини Лодовико
Timeline
9 events▣ Album 6◦ Birth 1† Death 1★ Debut release 1
1680s
1740s
1980s
· Debut release
Debut release: Music Of Lodovico Giustini Performed On The 1720 Cristofori Pianoforte At The Metropolitan Museum Of Art
First documented Album in the MusicBrainz discography.
source: musicbrainz
· Album
Album: Music Of Lodovico Giustini Performed On The 1720 Cristofori Pianoforte At The Metropolitan Museum Of Art
Album
source: musicbrainz
1990s
· Album
Album: Sonate da Cimbalo di piano, e forte detto volgarmente di martelletti
Album
source: musicbrainz
2010s
· Album
Album: Sonate da cimbalo di piano e forte, op. 1 nos. 2, 4, 7, 9 and 10
Album
source: musicbrainz
2020s
Biography
English biography578 words · 4 sectionssource: wikipedia-en · licence CC BY-SA 4.0 · revision 1373854987
Biography
Lodovico Giustini (12 December 1685 – 7 February 1743) was an Italian composer and keyboard player of the late Baroque and early Classical eras. He was the first known composer ever to write music for the piano.
Life
Giustini was born in Pistoia, of a family of musicians which can be traced back to the early 17th century; coincidentally he was born in the same year as Bach, Scarlatti, and Handel. Giustini's father was organist at the Congregazione dello Spirito Santo, a Jesuit-affiliated group, and an uncle, Domenico Giustini, was also a composer of sacred music.
In 1725, on his father's death, Giustini became organist at the Congregazione dello Spirito Santo, and acquired a reputation there as a composer of sacred music: mostly cantatas and oratorios. In 1728, he collaborated with Giovanni Carlo Maria Clari on a set of Lamentations which were performed that year. In 1734, he was hired as organist at S Maria dell'Umiltà, the Cathedral of Pistoia, a position he held for the rest of his life. In addition to playing the organ at both religious institutions, he performed on the harpsichord at numerous locations, often in his own oratorios.
Works and influence
Giustini's main fame rests on his work 12 Sonate da cimbalo di piano e forte detto volgarmente di martelletti, Op.1, published in Florence in 1732, which is the earliest music in any genre written specifically for the piano. They are dedicated to Dom António de Bragança, the younger brother of King João V of Portugal (the Portuguese court was one of the few places where the early piano was frequently played).
These pieces, which are sonate da chiesa, with alternating fast and slow sections (four or five movements per sonata), predate all other music specifically written for the piano by about 30 years. Giustini used all the expressive capabilities of the instrument, such as wide dynamic contrast: expressive possibilities which were not available on other keyboard instruments of the time. Harmonically the pieces are transitional between late Baroque and early Classical period practice, and include innovations such as augmented sixth chords and modulations to remote keys.
James Parakilas points out that it is quite surprising that these works should have been published at all. At the time of composition, there existed only a very small number of pianos, owned mainly by royalty. He conjectures that publication of the work was meant as an honor to Giustini; it "represents a gesture of magnificent presentation to a royal musician, rather than an act of commercial promotion."
While many performances of his large-scale sacred works are documented, all of that music is lost, with the exception of fragments such as scattered arias. Giustini's fame rests on his publication of his set of piano pieces, although they seem to have attracted little interest at the time.
References and further reading
Edward Higginbottom, "Lodovico Giustini", The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, ed. Stanley Sadie. 20 vol. London, Macmillan Publishers Ltd., 1980. ISBN 1-56159-174-2
Jean Grundy Fanelli: "Lodovico Giustini", Grove Music Online ed. L. Macy (Accessed November 14, 2005), (subscription access) (Note: the articles in the two editions of Grove are by different authors, and each contains unique material)
James Parakilas, Piano Roles: 300 Years of Life with the Piano. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1999. ISBN 0-300-08055-7.
Lodovico Giustini, The 12 Sonatas for piano, ed. Dominique Ferran, 3 vol. Paris-San Diego, Drake Mabry Publishing, 2003.
Freeman, Daniel E. "Lodovico Giustini and the Emergence of the Keyboard Sonata in Italy." Anuario musical 58 (2003):111-30.
Discography & profile
Normalised profile
Percentiles are computed over every artist in the database, so a tier-3 artist can still sit in the 95th percentile on a single axis.
| Metric | Value | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia language versions | 13 | 67.6th |
| Spotify monthly listeners | — | no data |
| Release groups in DB | 6 | 79.7th |
| Studio albums | 6 | 86.1th |
| Awards recorded | 0 | 0th |
| Timeline events | 9 | 85.5th |
| Recording span (years) | -237 | 2.7th |
| Genres | 0 | 0th |
Percentiles are computed at render time; missing values mean the artist has no data on that axis.
Discography (6 release groups · 6 studio albums)
Albums · 6
1980 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 4 tracks · 48:35
A1Sonata I in G minor: Balleto - Corrente - Sarabanda - Giga - Minuet12:08A2Sonata X in F minor: Alemanda - Canzone - Alemanda - Corrente11:32B1Sonata IV in E minor: Preludio - Presto - Sarabanda - Gigue10:22B2Sonata VII in G major: Alemanda - Corrente - Siciliana - Gavotta14:33Sonate da Cimbalo di piano, e forte detto volgarmente di martelletti
1996 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 22 tracks · 59:57
1Sonata I Sol Maior: Balletto - Spirituoso, Ma Non Presto3:082Sonata I Sol Maior: Corrente - Allegro2:043Sonata I Sol Maior: Sarabanda - Grave3:174Sonata I Sol Maior: Giga - Presto1:435Sonata I Sol Maior: Minuet - Affettuoso0:586Sonata IV Mi Menor: Preludio - Largo6:147Sonata IV Mi Menor: Presto2:468Sonata IV Mi Menor: Sarabanda - Largo2:349Sonata IV Mi Menor: Giga - Allegro2:2410Sonata XI Mi Maior: Alemanda - Allegro, Ma Non Presto2:2011Sonata XI Mi Maior: Dolce2:2212Sonata XI Mi Maior: Gavotta1:4913Sonata XI Mi Maior: Rondó - Affettuoso2:5014Sonata XI Mi Maior: Giga - Allegro Assai2:0515Sonata III Fá Maior: Siciliana - Affecttuoso4:3216Sonata III Fá Maior: Canzone2:3517Sonata III Fá Maior: Andante, Ma Non Presto3:1718Sonata III Fá Maior: Giga - Presto2:0719Sonata X Fá Menor: Alemanda - Affettuoso3:3020Sonata X Fá Menor: Canzone - Tempo Di Gavotta2:1721Sonata X Fá Menor: Alemanda - Grave, E Affettuoso3:1422Sonata X Fá Menor: Corrente - Allegro Assai1:5112 Sonate da Cimbalo di piano e forte
2010 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 53 tracks · 2:56:32
Disc 11Suonata I in G minor: I. Balletto: Spiritoso, ma non presto3:522Suonata I in G minor: II. Corrente: Allegro2:113Suonata I in G minor: III. Sarabanda: Grave3:044Suonata I in G minor: IV. Giga: Presto1:345Suonata I in G minor: V. Minuet: Affettuoso0:516Suonata II in C minor: I. Grave5:027Suonata II in C minor: II. Corrente: Allegro2:308Suonata II in C minor: III. Giga: Grave5:079Suonata II in C minor: IV. Giga: Presto1:5410Suonata II in C minor: V. Minuet1:1311Suonata III in F: I. Siciliana: Affettuoso5:3012Suonata III in F: II. Canzone2:3413Suonata III in F: III. Andante, ma non presto3:1614Suonata III in F: IV. Giga: Presto2:1215Suonata IV in E minor: I. Preludio: Largo6:4016Suonata IV in E minor: II Presto2:5917Suonata IV in E minor: III. Sarabanda: Largo2:0118Suonata IV in E minor: IV. Giga: Allegro2:14Disc 21Suonata V in D: I. Preludio: Adagio, e arpeggiato nell’acciaccature7:392Suonata V in D: II. Allegro3:163Suonata V in D: III. Affettuoso3:294Suonata V in D: IV. Corrente: Allegro2:305Suonata V in D: V. Tempo di Gavotta2:206Suonata VI in B-flat: I. Preludio: Grave5:147Suonata VI in B-flat: II. Allegro assai3:198Suonata VI in B-flat: III. Dolce5:319Suonata VI in B-flat: IV. Giga: Allegro2:1310Suonata VII in G: I. Alemanda: Andante5:0111Suonata VII in G: II. Corrente: Presto assai3:1012Suonata VII in G: III. Siciliana: Affettuoso5:0813Suonata VII in G: IV. Gavotta: Presto2:1014Suonata VIII in A: I. Sarabanda: Affettuoso4:4515Suonata VIII in A: II. Allegro3:1916Suonata VIII in A: III. Rondò: Affettuoso2:4417Suonata VIII in A: IV. Giga: Prestissimo2:33Disc 31Suonata IX in C: I. Sarabanda: Andante6:282Suonata IX in C: II. Alemanda: Allegro4:213Suonata IX in C: III. Rondò: Affettuoso2:284Suonata IX in C: IV. Gavotta: Allegro3:105Suonata X in F minor: I. Alemanda: Affettuoso4:126Suonata X in F minor: II. Canzone: Tempo di gavotta1:067Suonata X in F minor: III. Alemanda: Grave, e affettuoso3:318Suonata X in F minor: IV. Corrente: Allegro assai1:509Suonata XI in E: I. Alemanda: Allegro, ma non presto2:5810Suonata XI in E: II. Dolce2:0311Suonata XI in E: III. Gavotta1:5812Suonata XI in E: IV. Rondò: Affettuoso2:4013Suonata XI in E: V. Giga: Allegro assai1:5014Suonata XII in G: I. Sarabanda: Largo6:4115Suonata XII in G: II. Canzone3:3416Suonata XII in G: III. Siciliana: Affettuoso4:5317Suonata XII in G: IV. Giga: Presto assai2:2818Suonata XII in G: V. Minuet: Allegro1:16Sonate da cimbalo di piano e forte
2010 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 27 tracks · 1:11:10
1Suonata I g-moll: Spiritoso, ma non presto (Balletto)3:012Suonata I g-moll: Allegro (Corrente)2:093Suonata I g-moll: Grave (Sarabanda)3:074Suonata I g-moll: Presto (Giga)1:435Suonata I g-moll: Affetuoso (Minuet)1:176Suonata II c-moll: Grave4:587Suonata II c-moll: Allegro (Corrente)2:068Suonata II c-moll: Grave (Giga)3:259Suonata II c-moll: Presto (Giga)1:5910Suonata II c-moll: Minuet1:4911Suonata VII G-Dur: Andante (Alemanda)4:2812Suonata VII G-Dur: Presto assai (Corrente)2:1813Suonata VII G-Dur: Affettuoso (Siciliana)3:4514Suonata VII G-Dur: Presto (Gavotta)2:3115Suonata VIII A-Dur: Affettuoso (Sarabanda)3:2016Suonata VIII A-Dur: Allegro2:3017Suonata VIII A-Dur: Affettuoso (Rondo)2:2218Suonata VIII A-Dur: Prestissimo (Giga)2:4319Suonata X f-moll: Affettuoso (Alemanda)3:4320Suonata X f-moll: Canzone (Tempo di Gavotta)1:1521Suonata X f-moll: Grave e Affettuoso (Alemanda)2:5222Suonata X f-moll: Allegro assai (Corrente)2:0823Suonata XI E-Dur: Allegro, ma non presto (Alemanda)2:4424Suonata XI E-Dur: Dolce2:0425Suonata XI E-Dur: Gavotta2:1226Suonata XI E-Dur: Affettuoso (Rondo)2:2327Suonata XI E-Dur: Allegro assai (Giga)2:18Sonate da cimbalo di piano e forte, op. 1 nos. 2, 4, 7, 9 and 10
2014 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 21 tracks · 1:12:00
1Sonata no. 2 in C minor: Grave5:022Sonata no. 2 in C minor: Corrente: Allegro1:583Sonata no. 2 in C minor: Giga: Grave6:054Sonata no. 2 in C minor: Giga: Presto2:045Sonata no. 2 in C minor: Minuet1:206Sonata no. 7 in G major: Alemanda: Andante5:037Sonata no. 7 in G major: Corrente: Presto assai3:068Sonata no. 7 in G major: Siciliana: Affettuoso4:299Sonata no. 7 in G major: Gavotta: Presto2:0110Sonata no. 4 in E minor: Preludio: Largo5:4411Sonata no. 4 in E minor: Presto2:4412Sonata no. 4 in E minor: Sarabanda: Largo2:1513Sonata no. 4 in E minor: Giga: Allegro2:0614Sonata no. 9 in C major: Sarabanda: Andante6:3215Sonata no. 9 in C major: Alemanda: Allegro3:4716Sonata no. 9 in C major: Rondò: Affettuoso2:0617Sonata no. 9 in C major: Gavotta: Allegro2:3818Sonata no. 10 in F minor: Alemanda: Affettuoso4:1519Sonata no. 10 in F minor: Canzone: Tempo di Gavotta2:1320Sonata no. 10 in F minor: Alemanda: Grave e Affettuoso4:4221Sonata no. 10 in F minor: Corrente: Allegro assai1:502020 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 53 tracks · 2:38:53
1Sonata no. 1 in G minor: I. Balletto. Spiritoso, ma non presto3:232Sonata no. 1 in G minor: II. Corrente. Allegro1:593Sonata no. 1 in G minor: III. Sarabanda. Grave2:484Sonata no. 1 in G minor: IV. Giga. Presto1:325Sonata no. 1 in G minor: V. Minuet. Affettuoso0:586Sonata no. 2 in C minor: I. Grave4:137Sonata no. 2 in C minor: II. Corrente. Allegro1:508Sonata no. 2 in C minor: III. Giga. Grave5:309Sonata no. 2 in C minor: IV. Giga. Presto2:0410Sonata no. 2 in C minor: V. Minuet1:3611Sonata no. 3 in F: I. Siciliana. Affettuoso4:4812Sonata no. 3 in F: II. Canzone2:1813Sonata no. 3 in F: III. Andante, ma non presto2:5114Sonata no. 3 in F: IV. Giga. Presto2:0615Sonata no. 4 in E minor: I. Preludia. Largo5:4816Sonata no. 4 in E minor: II. Presto2:3717Sonata no. 4 in E minor: III. Sarabanda. Largo1:4418Sonata no. 4 in E minor: IV. Giga. Allegro2:0819Sonata no. 5 in D: I. Preludio. Adagio e arpeggiato nell’acciaccature5:0720Sonata no. 5 in D: II. Allegro3:3221Sonata no. 5 in D: III. Affettuoso3:0122Sonata no. 5 in D: IV. Corrente. Allegro2:0623Sonata no. 5 in D: V. Tempo di Gavotta2:1624Sonata no. 6 in B‐flat: I. Preludio. Grave4:1225Sonata no. 6 in B‐flat: II. Allegro assai3:0726Sonata no. 6 in B‐flat: III. Dolce4:5727Sonata no. 6 in B‐flat: IV. Giga. Allegro2:0928Sonata no. 7 in G: I. Allemanda. Andante3:5129Sonata no. 7 in G: II. Corrente. Presto assai2:5930Sonata no. 7 in G: III. Siciliana. Affettuoso4:2331Sonata no. 7 in G: IV. Gavotta. Presto2:0832Sonata no. 8 in A: I. Sarabanda. Affettuoso4:5133Sonata no. 8 in A: II. Allegro3:0934Sonata no. 8 in A: III. Rondò. Affettuoso2:2235Sonata no. 8 in A: IV. Giga. Prestissimo2:3136Sonata no. 9 in C: I. Sarabanda. Andante4:5337Sonata no. 9 in C: II. Allemanda. Allegro4:0038Sonata no. 9 in C: III. Rondò. Affettuoso2:1639Sonata no. 9 in C: IV. Gavotta. Allegro2:5340Sonata no. 10 in F minor: I. Allemanda. Affettuoso3:1341Sonata no. 10 in F minor: II. Canzone. Tempo di Gavotta2:1542Sonata no. 10 in F minor: III. Allemanda. Grave e affettuoso3:1043Sonata no. 10 in F minor: IV. Corrente. Allegro assai2:1644Sonata no. 11 in E: I. Allemanda. Allegro ma non presto2:3945Sonata no. 11 in E: II. Dolce1:4746Sonata no. 11 in E: III. Gavotta2:0247Sonata no. 11 in E: IV. Rondò. Affettuoso2:3748Sonata no. 11 in E: V. Giga. Allegro assai1:5149Sonata no. 12 in G: I. Sarabanda. Largo5:2350Sonata no. 12 in G: II. Canzone3:1351Sonata no. 12 in G: III. Siciliana. Affettuoso3:2752Sonata no. 12 in G: IV. Giga. Presto assai2:4253Sonata no. 12 in G: V. Minuet. Allegro1:22
Stats & PK
Percentile within all 23,672 published artists.Put Lodovico Giustini head-to-head →
| Metric | Value | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia language versions | 13 | 67.6th |
| Spotify monthly listeners | — | no data |
| Release groups in DB | 6 | 79.7th |
| Studio albums | 6 | 86.1th |
| Awards recorded | 0 | 0th |
| Timeline events | 9 | 85.5th |
| Recording span (years) | -237 | 2.7th |
| Genres | 0 | 0th |
Awards & honours
Where this record comes from
aliases/urls—musicbrainz · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://musicbrainz.org/artist/d9ab8563-1bd6-4e61-a7a5-1c3354da5b18discography—musicbrainz · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://musicbrainz.org/artist/d9ab8563-1bd6-4e61-a7a5-1c3354da5b18core—wikidata · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q711089seed-list—wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lodovico_Giustinibiography—wikipedia-en · CC BY-SA 4.0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lodovico_Giustini
Why this artist is in the database
- List of composers by name
Tier rule: curated genre/region list
Image: no portrait (not displayed: the licence credit is missing)
Wikidata: Q711089 · MusicBrainz: d9ab8563-1bd6-4e61-a7a5-1c3354da5b18