Francesco Landini

The Profile

Francesco Landini (c. 1325–1397) was a Florentine composer, organist, and poet, the leading figure of the Italian Trecento (Ars Nova). Blind from childhood, he is renowned for his ballate and the characteristic Landini cadence.

Florentine 14th‑century composer and organist; blind from childhood; central figure of Italian Ars Nova/Trecento; celebrated for ballate and the Landini cadence; died in 1397.

One glowing review hails Landini as a blind-from-birth master of 14th‑century Italian music, elevating the ballata into refined polyphony. It praises his use of the celebrated Landini cadence and his integration of moral and existential themes. Overall sentiment: emphatically admiring.