1492—Siena, Italy

Because of internal dissatisfaction within the Siena civic wind band (pifferi), an appeal is made to a special committee about how best to improve matters. The report from the committee says, in part, “…since you have only two pifferi who are really qualified, that is, the trombone [Girolamo] and Jacopo, and [since] Cristoforo piffero’s son Domenico, who equals them in knowledge, is available, the three of them can play together. We are certain they will bring you as much honor as any others in Italy because they’ll be able to learn to perform things that your other pifferi can neither play nor are capable of learning. For this reason we believe these three should not be stopped when they wish to perform [this other music]. Thus we wish, with your lordships’ permission, to be able to tell so and so not to play sometimes, especially when they want to perform things they do not know how to play” (D’Accone, Civic Muse 542).