Dilucide et probatissime demonstratione de Maestro Zoanne Spatario musico bolognese contra certe frivole et vane excusatione da Franchino Gafurio (Maestro de li errori) in luce ad aducte Im Faksimile mit Übersetzung herausgegeben - Spataro, Giovanni 1458-1541; Wolf, Johannes 1869-1947; Gaffurius, Franchinus 1451-1522 (Berlin Breslauer, 1925)
debate on tempered vs. Pythagorean tuning
Originally published in 1521
Giovanni Spataro was an Italian composer, music theorist and singer.
Giovanni Spataro's importance is based less on his compositions than on his surviving correspondence with Marco Antonio Cavazzoni, Giovanni Del Lago (1480/1490 - after 1543) and Pietro Aaron, which is of considerable significance for the history of music in the 16th century - particularly because this correspondence provides clearer insights into everyday life at the time, more than that of other musicians. His non-academic profile is evident, for example, in his view that a composer's innate talent was more important than a solid education. He was also sceptical of the musical authorities of earlier times. Spataro was also of the opinion that not only theoretical rules are decisive for a musical approach, but also verification through logic and judgement when listening.
Spataro's polemical attitude is particularly evident in his extensive dispute with Franchino Gaffurio. Gaffurio had initially published his work De harmonia (Milan 1518), whereupon Spataro criticised the alleged errors contained therein in 18 letters (which have been lost). Gaffurio responded with his Apologia adversus Joannem Spatarium (Turin 1520); Spataro reacted to this in his reply Errori di Franchino Gafurio (1521) with a very detailed criticism of all of his opponent's publications. In the same year, the latter defended himself with two open letters against Spataro, who in turn responded with his publication Dilucide et probatissime demonstratione (1521). However, despite the wide range of topics, this dispute was not particularly well received by the other music theory experts of the time due to its polemical style.
Johannes Wolf was a German musicologist, archivist and teacher, known for his research on medieval and Renaissance music, particularly Ars Nova, and early music notation.
Keywords: 16th Century (1501-1600); 20th Century (1901-2000); Music history; Music criticism; Tuning; Italy