Francesco Maria Veracini

Francesco Maria Veracini (1 February 1690 – 31 October 1768) was an Italian composer and violinist, perhaps best known for his sets of violin sonatas. As a composer, according to Manfred Bukofzer, “His individual, if not subjective, style has no precedent in baroque music and clearly heralds the end of the entire era”, while Luigi Torchi maintained that “he rescued the imperiled music of the eighteenth century”, His contemporary, Charles Burney, held that “he had certainly a great share of whim and caprice, but he built his freaks on a good foundation, being an excellent contrapuntist”. The asteroid 10875 Veracini was named after him. Life Francesco Maria Veracini was born on 1 February 1690 in the family house on the via Palazzuolo, parish of San Salvatore, Ognissanti, Florence. The second and only surviving son of Agostino Veracini, a pharmacist and undertaker (and ironically one of the few Veracinis who was not a violinist, even as an amateur), he was taught the violin by his uncle, Antonio Veracini, with whom he later often appeared in concert, as well as by Giovanni Maria Casini and his assistant Francesco Feroci. His grandfather, Francesco (di Niccolò) Veracini, had been one