1543—Florence, Italy

Musicians appointed by Cosimo I to serve at the Florentine court include an esteemed group of trombonists: Mattio di Giovanni, Lorenzo da Lucca, Niccolaio, and Bartolomeo di Luigi. Bartolomeo and Lorenzo da Lucca were highly-respected musicians who were deemed worthy to judge an applicant for an organ post at the Florentine baptistry (Kirkendale, Court Musicians in Florence 61-63). Piero da Ricasoli, discussing instrumental virtuosi in Cosimo Bartoli’s Ragionamenti accademici, later lists 3 specific trombonists–2 of them, Bartolomeo di Luigi and Lorenzo da Lucca, coming from the above set of players. Ricasoli comments specifically that Lorenzo da Lucca “has in his playing a certain grace and lightness [grazia et una leggiadria] with a manner so pleasing as to make me dumbstruck” (Haar, Cosimo Bartoli). Lorenzo da Lucca had also played an active role in a political revolt in Lucca (Kirkendale, Court Musicians in Florence 61) and is presumably the same trombonist who had performed with Benvenuto Cellini for the pope c. 1524 (see above).