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Ferdinando de' Medici (9 August 1663 – 31 October 1713) was the eldest son of Cosimo III de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany, and Marguerite Louise d'Orléans. Ferdinando was heir to the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, with the title Grand Prince, from his father's accession in 1670 until his death in 1713. He is remembered today primarily as a patron of music. An excellent musician himself (sometimes called "the Orpheus of princes"), he attracted top musicians to Florence and thus made it an important musical center.〔http://www.quadroframe.com/html/albums/fr9829_en.html#contents〕 Through his patronage of Bartolomeo Cristofori, Ferdinando made possible the invention of the piano. ==Life== Ferdinando was born in the Palazzo Pitti to Cosimo de' Medici and his wife Marguerite Louise d'Orléans, a granddaughter of Maria de' Medici. When Ferdinando's parents separated in 1675, his mother (who disdained her husband only slightly more than Florence did) returned to Paris, where she was supposed to be confined to a monastery in Montmartre. Ferdinando became a rebellious youth, who disagreed intensely with his father on every subject.〔Acton, H. (1958) The Last Medici, p. 160.〕 He was placed under the care of his grandmother, Vittoria della Rovere. Ferdinando had a great affinity with his vivacious mother. He was handsome, a fine horseman, and a talented musician. He sang melodiously and played the harpsichord. He was a master in counterpoint, which he studied under Gianmaria Paliardi of Genoa, and in various bowed instruments, which he studied under Piero Salvetti. He was known for his ability to play a piece of music at sight〔(Website in Italian and English )〕 and then repeat it faultlessly without looking at the music.〔Acton, H. (1958) The Last Medici, p. 164.〕 Aside from music, Ferdinando's other principal delight was in intimate liaisons and affairs, often with men. These included Petrillo, a musician famous for his beauty, and Cecchino, a Venetian castrato. Ferdinando's uncle Francesco Maria de' Medici, only three years older, was a strong influence on his life. In 1689 Ferdinando married Violante of Bavaria, the plain daughter of the elector of Bavaria Ferdinand and Adelaide of Savoy. Although she also liked music and loved Ferdinando, her feelings were not requited and the marriage was unhappy and barren. In 1696 Ferdinando sought recreation in Venice. He fell in love with a female vocalist called ''La Bambagia''.〔Acton, H. (1958) The Last Medici, p. 210.〕 It is presumed that during the Carnival of Venice, Ferdinando contracted syphilis. Victoria Tarquini, called ''La Bombace'', the wife of the concertmaster Jean-Baptiste Farinel became the mistress of Ferdinando. (She may have been a daughter of Robert Cambert and had an affair with Handel.〔Harris, E.T. (2001) Handel as Orpheus: voice and desire in the chamber cantatas, p. 180.〕) By 1710 his health had begun to fail, and the annual operatic productions at Pratolino under his aegis (see below) ceased. Ferdinando died in 1713, having fathered no children. His father continued to rule until 1723, and was succeeded on his death by Ferdinando's younger brother Gian Gastone, who likewise died childless. The lack of fecundity in the family ultimately led to a crisis: after Gian Gastone's death in 1737, the great powers of Europe reassigned the Grand Duchy to Francis, the husband of Maria Theresia, thus ending the independence of the Tuscan state. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Ferdinando de' Medici, Grand Prince of Tuscany」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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