Carlo Alessandro Guidi (14 June 1650 – 12 June 1712),

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

lyric

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...

, was born at

Pavia Pavia ( , ; ; ; ; ) is a town and comune of south-western Lombardy, in Northern Italy, south of Milan on the lower Ticino (river), Ticino near its confluence with the Po (river), Po. It has a population of c. 73,086. The city was a major polit ...

Biography

As chief founder of the well-known Roman

Academy of the Arcadians The Accademia degli Arcadi or Accademia dell'Arcadia, "Academy of Arcadia" or "Academy of the Arcadians", is an Italian literary academy founded in Rome in 1690. The full Italian official name was Pontificia Accademia degli Arcadi. History Found ...

, he had a considerable share in the reform of Italian poetry, which at that time was dominated by the

baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

extravagance of the poets

Giambattista Marino Giambattista Marino (also Giovan Battista Marini) (14 October 1569 – 26 March 1625) was a Neapolitan poet who was born in Naples. He is most famous for his epic '. The ''Cambridge History of Italian Literature'' thought him to be "one of ...

and

Claudio Achillini Claudio Achillini (; 18 September 1574 – 1 October 1640) was an Italian philosopher, theologian, mathematician, poet, and jurist. He is a major figure in the history of Italian Baroque poetry. Biography Born in Bologna, he was a grandson to ...

and their school. Guidi,

Giovanni Mario Crescimbeni Giovanni Mario Crescimbeni (9 October 16638 March 1728) was an Italian critic and poet. Crescimbeni was a founding member and leader of the erudite literary society of Accademia degli Arcadi in Rome. Biography Born in Macerata, which was then ...

, and the critic and

jurisconsult A jurist is a person with expert knowledge of law; someone who analyzes and comments on law. This person is usually a specialist legal scholar, mostly (but not always) with a formal education in law (a law degree) and often a legal practitione ...

Gravina attempted to foster a straightforward use of language. While his early verse shows the influence of Marino, he later cultivated the

Pindaric Pindar (; ; ; ) was an Ancient Greek lyric poet from Thebes. Of the canonical nine lyric poets of ancient Greece, his work is the best preserved. Quintilian wrote, "Of the nine lyric poets, Pindar is by far the greatest, in virtue of his i ...

manner of Chiabrera, producing canzoni of free stanzaic form. His most celebrated song was ''Alla Fortuna'' (''To Fortune''). Guidi's poems were printed at

Parma Parma (; ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, Giuseppe Verdi, music, art, prosciutto (ham), Parmesan, cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,986 inhabitants as of 2025, ...

in 1671, and at Rome in 1704. In 1681 he published at Parma his lyric tragedy ''Amalasunta in Italia'', and two pastoral dramas ''Daphne'' and ''Endymion''. Guidi's poetical version of the six homilies of

Pope Clement XI Pope Clement XI (; ; ; 23 July 1649 – 19 March 1721), born Giovanni Francesco Albani, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 23 November 1700 to his death in March 1721. Clement XI was a patron of the arts an ...

, was severely criticized by the satirist Settano. An edition of this version had been printed in 1712, and the pope being then in

Castel Gandolfo Castel Gandolfo (, , ; ), colloquially known as Castello in the '' Castelli Romani'' dialects, is a town located southeast of Rome, in the Italian region of Lazio. Situated on a hilltop in the Alban Hills with panoramic views of Lake Albano, Cast ...

, Guidi went there to present him with a copy. On the way he found out a serious typographical error, which he took so much to heart that he was seized with a

stroke Stroke is a medical condition in which poor cerebral circulation, blood flow to a part of the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: brain ischemia, ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and intracranial hemorrhage, hemor ...

Frascati Frascati () is a city and in the Metropolitan City of Rome Capital in the Lazio region of central Italy. It is located south-east of Rome, on the Alban Hills close to the ancient city of Tusculum. Frascati is closely associated with science, ...

and died on the spot. Guidi was honoured with the special protection of Ranuccio II, duke of Parma, and of

Queen Christina of Sweden Christina (; 18 December O.S. 8 December">Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="nowiki/>Old Style and New Style dates">O.S. 8 December1626 – 19 April 1689), a member of the House of Vasa, was Monarchy of Sweden, Queen of Sweden from ...

Works

* ''Poesie liriche d'Alessandro Guidi consagrate all'Altessa Serenissima di Ranuccio II Farnese duca di Parma, e di Piacenza''. In Parma: per li Viotti, 1671 * ''Il Giove d'Elide fulminato, introduzione al balletto fatto dalla serenissima signora duchessa di Parma l'anno 1677. Nel teatrino del serenissimo signor duca poesia d'Alessandro Guidi, posta in musica da d. Marco Uccellini maestro di capella della medesima altezza'', Parma, 1677 * ''Amalasonta in Italia''. Dramma d'Alessandro Guidi, posto in musica dal Maestro di cappella Gio: Battista Policci, e fatto rappresentare dal serenissimo signor duca di Parma nel Teatro del Collegio de' Nobili l'anno 1681. In Parma: per Galeazzo Rosati Stampator Ducale, 1681 * ''Amore riconciliato con Venere'', introduzione al balletto fatto dalla serenissima signora duchessa di Parma l'anno 1681. nel Teatrino del serenissimo signor duca poesia d'Alessandro Guidi, posta in musica dal Maestro di cappella Gio: Battista Policci. In Parma: per Galeazzo Rosati Stampator Ducale, 1681 * ''Accademia per musica fatta nel real palazzo della maesta della regina Christina per festeggiare l'assonzione al trono di Giacomo secondo re d'Inghilterra'', versi d'Alesandro Guidi. In Roma: nella stamperia della Reu. Cam. Apost., 1687 * ''L'Endimione di Erilo Cleoneo pastore arcade con un discorso di Bione Crateo all'eminentiss. e reverendiss. sig. cardinale Albano''. In Amsterdam: appresso la vedoua Schippers, 1692 * ''Pensieri heroici, spiegati dalla penna d'Alessandro Guidi. Dedicati all'illustrissimo Nicolò Foscarini''. In Venetia: appresso Alvise Pavin, 1695; In Parma: per Giuseppe Rossetti, 1695 *''Poesie d'Alessandro Guidi non più raccolte, con la sua vita novamente scritta dal signor canonico Crescimbeni e con due ragionamenti di Vincenzo Gravina non più divulgati'', Verona, G. A. Tumermani, 1726 * ''Le basiliche di S. Francesco d'Assisi e della Madonna degli Angeli, descritte da Alessandro Guidi, postovi innanzi un compendio della vita di esso serafico padre''. Roma: Tip. poliglotta, 1873

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Guidi, Carlo 1650 births 1712 deaths Writers from Pavia 16th-century Italian writers Italian poets Italian male poets Members of the Academy of Arcadians