Dates: 1497-1543
Birthplace: Monza, a suburb of Milan
Publication: Intavolatura de viola o vero lauto...Libro primo e Secondo della Fortuna. Naples: Sultzbach, 1536
Contents: Volume 1: Recercatas and intabulations of works by Sermisy, Josquin, Janequin and others - Italian Tablature
Volume 2: Recercatas - Neapolitan Tablature [one instead of zero for the open string]
Comments:
A number of questions arise from this two-volume publication. Did Francesco actually play a viola da mano, or was the instrument included in the title page because the book was published in Naples? What was the viola like at this time, 1536? Was it strung in octaves on the lower three courses, as with the 6c lute?
Dr Antonio Corona in correspondance: Regarding Francesco, we are on speculative ground, although I am tempted to believe he did play the plucked viola at some point, for which exercise the only thing he needed was an instrument which was readily available. We do know that Francesco played an instrument callled viola, as Cosimo Bartoli attests, but at present there is no way to establish whether this instrument was plucked or bowed. A nice bit of information, though, is that Francesco was known to improvise in Rome upon the Conde Claros tenor, the very same used by several vihuelists as a ground for their diferencias.
Dr John Griffiths in correspondence: As for Francesco's Neapolitan Lutebook, it is quite possible that his
student Pierino Fiorentino might have had some role in respect of the
supervising the Neapolitan printing. But we don't know who put it into
Neapolitan tablature. On the other hand, there's a good case that
Francesco and Narvaez met in Rome in 1536, and taught each other some
tricks. But there is no evidence that I know to confirm Francesco
playing viola...The Francesco/Narváez meeting is circumstantial. We think that Narváez probably accompanied Francisco de los Cobos to Rome to meet Paul III in 1536. Francesco was there then, in papal service. This makes sense of a later comment of Francisco Salinas who reports having heard Francesco improvising diferencias — Narváez brought Francesco's music back to Spain with him. The crucial thing to read is Juan Ruiz Jiménez's article "Insights into Luis Narváez and Music Publishing in Renaissance Spain" JLSA 26 (1993): 1-12.