Rime e prose - Maffei, Scipione 1675-1755 (Venice Coleti, 1719)
An interesting collection of pieces by polymath Maffei.
The first part devoted to poetry includes a section headed 'Poesie Musicali' in which there are two libretti for oratorios and several cantate for 3, 2 or solo voices.
The Prose section reprints several articles which had appeared in the 'Giornale de'Letterati d'Italia' of which Maffei had been one of the founders. One of these is his famous account of the new instrument invented by Bartolomo Cristoforo which is acknowledged as 'the first pianoforte' (p.309-315: Descrizione d'un Gravicembalo col piano, e forte; Aggiunte alcune considerazioni sopra gli strumenti musicali); a plate shows the mechanism.
A letter to Vallisnieri discusses the formation of lightning. He draws on his own experience during a storm in the Appennines which helped form his theories which he acknowledges to be unorthodox.
Ex libris Marino Marini (stamp)
Ex libris Francesco M.a Contin (manuscript)
Keywords: 18th Century (1701-1800); Poetry; Libretto; Oratorio; Cantata; Literature; Organology; Natural science; History; Correspondence; Venice (Italy)