«Dalla musica vengon più eccitati i suoi generosi pensieri»

Between the late sixteenth and the mid-seventeenth centuries, many members of the Florentine nobility contributed substantially to various forms of entertainment, both at court and elsewhere within the city. Among these was Alessandro Del Nero (1568–1650), Barone of Porcigliano. A patron of many painters and musicians, Del Nero actively participated in numerous balli, barriere, and giostre organized in Florence. He was the dedicatee of Domenico Visconti’s Il primo libro de arie a una e due voci (Venice, 1616) and of Raffaello Rontani’s Le varie musiche … Libro sesto (Rome, 1622). Furthermore, the Palazzo Del Nero was often the venue of musical performances, balli, and mascherate, in which members of the Florentine aristocracy and, occasionally, the grand dukes themselves participated. Drawing on archival materials, letters, and extracts from Cesare Tinghi’s diaries, this essay investigates Alessandro Del Nero’s activity as a patron, particularly towards musicians, as well as his direct participation in Florence’s early seventeenth century musical and larger cultural life.