About
Also known as: F. Manfredini, Francesco Manfredini
Francesco Manfredini is a Baroque composer whose name got turned into a punchline. In the 1970s, musicologist H.C. Robbins Landon wrote an article called "A Pox on Manfredini" to grumble about record companies digging up even the most forgettable composers of the era. Fair or not, it's a funny bit of fame for someone who studied violin with Giuseppe Torelli and composition with Giacomo Antonio Perti in Bologna. He worked as a violinist and church musician, spent time at the court of Monaco, and later held the post of maestro di cappella at Pistoia's cathedral until his death. Much of his music is thought to have been lost, with only 43 published works and a few manuscripts known. What survives shows Vivaldi's influence, especially the Concerti Grossi, Op. 3, which include the Christmas Concerto that arguably kept his name alive. Naxos released a recording of Op. 3, praising his gift for easy melodic invention.
