Landini playing a miniature organ
Francesco Landini or Landino (around 1325–1397) was a Florentine organist and composer. He was one of the most famous and revered composers of his day.
Blind from childhood (an effect of contracting smallpox), Landini became one of the foremost exponents of the Italian ars nova style. He was a highly regarded organist and played a number of other instruments, including the lute and guitar. He lived most of his life in Florence, and died there.
Landini's output was almost exclusively secular. While there are records of his having composed sacred music, none of it has survived. What has survived are a large number of ballate and a smaller number of madrigals. He is assumed to have written his own texts for many of his works. Landini's output represents almost a quarter of all surviving 14th century Italian music.
Landini is the eponym of the Landini cadence (or Landino sixth), a cadential formula whereby the sixth degree of the scale (the submediant) is inserted between the leading note and its resolution on the tonic.
He is buried in the church of San Lorenzo in Florence.
