Pisano, real name Pagoli, Pagholi, Bernardo, *12 October 1490 Florence, †23 January 1548 Rome, Italian composer and singer, publisher of Apuleius’ works, priest. He worked in Florence and, from 1514, also in Rome – where he settled permanently in 1520 – in the chapels of the Medici popes. Pisano’s early works include uncomplicated 4-part frottole and 3-part ballatas. Homorhythm also dominates in the responsories. In the works from his only publication, which are an important source of early madrigals, Pisano introduces contrasting imitative sections, differentiates the vocal cast and makes sparing use of tone painting.
Literature: F.A. D’Accone Bernardo Pisano An Introduction to His Life and Works, “Musica Disciplina” XVII, 1963; F.A. D’Accone Bernardo Pisano and the Early Madrigal, in the proceedings of the 10th Congress of the International Musicological Society, Ljubljana in 1967, ed. D. Cvetko, Ljubljana 1970.
Compositions:
sacred:
27 responsories for 4 voices for the Office of Tenebrae, manuscript Florence
secular:
Musica (…) sopra la canzone del Petrarcha, 17 works for 4 voices, published in Fossombrone 1520 (B preserved along with parts of A, 12 works preserved in their entirety in manuscripts, Florence, Bologna)
preserved in manuscripts, mainly Florence and Bologna:
eleven 4-voice works and two 3-voice works attributed to Pisano (based on style and text selection)
three 3-voice works
Editions:
all works except 8 responsories ed. F.A. D’Accone in Music of the Florentine Renaissance, «Corpus Mensurabilis Musicae» XXXII/1, 1966
