Caccini, Giulio (c. 1545-1618)

Italian singer, lutenist, and composer. He wrote short vocal pieces in recitative style and sang them to the theorbo, which led to larger essays of the kind, set to scenes by Count Giovanni Bardi, and eventually to Ottavio Rinuccini's libretto for the opera Euridice, first set by Jacopo Peri and immediately afterwards by Caccini in 1602. In 1604-05 he visited Paris, France, with his daughter, Francesca Caccini, who was herself a composer as well as a singer.

Caccini was born in Tivoli or Rome, and was taken to Florence by Cosimo I de' Medici around 1565. He was successful as a singer there, and became known throughout Italy. He used to attend Count Bardi's salon in Florence, and was credited with the invention of a new style of song, the stile recitativo, which developed there. The first mention of Caccini as a composer dates from 1589, when he composed music for the marriage of Grand Duke Ferdinando I. In 1600 he was appointed musical director at the court of the Medici family, and remained in their service until his death.

His two songbooks, Le nuove musiche, published in 1602 and 1614, contain pieces for solo voice and figured bass. The first has a preface on the new style of singing and composition adopted by Caccini, and embellishments in the music that were usually improvised are written out in full.

Works Opera Euridice and Il rapimento di Cefalo (both 1602).

Vocal Le nuove musiche containing madrigals and arias for voice and continuo (1602, 1614).