Francesco Paolo Supriani
Francesco Paolo Tomaso Supriani was an Italian cellist and composer of the Neapolitan school.
Biography
He was a student of Conservatorio della Pietà dei Turchini from 1693, where he became a cello virtuoso.He was the author of a manuscript didactic collection of toccatas for the instrument, with an explanatory introduction, entitled: Principij da imparare à suonare il violoncello e con 12 Toccate à solo, found and published by the musicologist and cellist Luigi Silva. A copy of the manuscript is kept in the Biblioteca Conservatorio San Pietro a Majella, Naples. In this work Supriani already uses the fifth position, as well as the bass and tenor clefs. As a virtuoso cellist, he helped the cello to emerge from its traditional rank of continuo and reach the elevated status of a solo instrument.
Supriani is considered one of the teachers of Francesco Alborea, commonly known as "Franciscello".
Compositions
Principij da imparare à suonare il violoncello e con 12 Toccate à solo ''''12 Toccatas for cello solo:
- Toccata prima in G major
- Toccata seconda in A minor
- Toccata terza in B flat major
- Toccata quarta in C major
- Toccata quinta
- Toccata sesta
- Toccata settima
- Toccata ottava in G minor
- Toccata nona in A major
- Toccata decima in D minor
- Toccata undicesima in A minor
- Toccata dodicesima in F minor