Andreas de Florentia

Andreas de Florentia (also known as Andrea da Firenze, Andrea de’ Servi, Andrea degli Organi and Andrea di Giovanni; died 1415) was a Florentine composer and organist of the late medieval era. Along with Francesco Landini and Paolo da Firenze, he was a leading representative of the Italian ars nova style of the Trecento, and was a prolific composer of secular songs, principally ballate. Life Since Andreas was a member of the Servite religious order, whose records have largely survived intact, more is known about his life than is usually the case for fourteenth-century composers. He entered the order in 1375, though at what age is not known. One of his first activities within the order was to carry out a commission to build an organ for the Servite house in Florence, for which he hired Francesco Landini as a consultant. Among the surviving records are the receipts for the wine that the two consumed during the three days it took to tune the instrument. Evidently he and Landini were successful, for in 1387 Andreas received a similar commission to build an organ for Florence Cathedral. A commission recorded in 1382 for a “Maestro Andrea” to build an organ in Rieti, between Florence and