Michele Mascitti

At the forefront of Italian instrumental music, Mascitti was considered comparable to Corelli and Albinoni. He was taught by his uncle Pietro Marchitelli a violinist. Notably, all of Mascitti's compositions were scored for strings. He was able to find his fortune outside of Italy travelling throughout his native country, Germany and the Netherlands eventually settling in Paris in 1704. Through a meeting with the Duke of Orleans he was afforded the opportunity to play before the king and the entire court. Immensely popular among the French public, known familiarly by his first name, he served both the Duke of Orleans and was also patronized by the house of Crozat. The primary genre of his compositions was the solo sonata but he also arranged trio sonatas and concertos. Mascitti's were the first string concertos published in France by a resident composer. ~ Keith Johnson