Vincenzo Capirola

The Profile

Italian Renaissance lutenist and composer from Brescia. Best known for the illuminated Capirola lutebook (early 16th century), the single surviving source of his lute compositions, held at the Newberry Library in Chicago.

A single illuminated manuscript of his lute compositions (the Capirola lutebook) survives; it surfaced in the 19th century and is held at the Newberry Library, Chicago. The manuscript is notable for its miniatures and was transcribed into modern notation decades after its discovery. Contemporary biographical details are scarce; the review notes he rented a room in Venice in 1517 and that he was a Brescia native.

A poetic, melancholic review reflects on Vincenzo Capirola's illuminated lute manuscript and its atmospheric mysteries. The surviving Capirola lutebook is highlighted more for its miniatures than for biographical certainty. The review treats the music as enigmatic yet touching.