
Cosimo Bartoli
'Cosimo Bartoli' (
December 20 1503–
October 25 1572) was an Italian diplomat, mathematician,
philologist, and
humanist. He worked and lived in
Rome and
Florence and took minor orders. He was a friend of architect and writer
Giorgio Vasari, and helped him to get his ''Vite'' ready for publication.
[1]
Bartoli worked in diplomatic circles, including as secretary to Cardinal Giovanni de’ Medici and as diplomatic agent for Duke
Cosimo I. Bartoli wrote ''Ragionamenti accademici'' (Venice, 1567), which was mainly a criticism of
Dante. One chapter, however, gave descriptions of composers and instrumentalists. He cited the composers
Johannes Ockeghem and
Josquin Des Prez as equal to
Donatello and
Michelangelo in their respective arts, and stated that Ockeghem and Donatello were the precursors to Josquin and Michelangelo. In this book he also critiques architecture and painting, mainly focusing on the arts of his native Florence. He extolled the concept of ''
inventzione'' in all the arts.
[1]
References
★ Clement A. Miller. "Cosimo Bartoli", ''
Grove Music Online'', ed. L. Macy (accessed
March 18 2006),
grovemusic.com (subscription access).
Notes
1. Miller
2. Miller