Background
He was born on 6 January 1466 in what was then the Neapolitan town of L'Aquila. Serafino’s parents were Francesco Ciminelli and Lippa de' Legistis.
He was born on 6 January 1466 in what was then the Neapolitan town of L'Aquila. Serafino’s parents were Francesco Ciminelli and Lippa de' Legistis.
In 1478 he was taken to Naples by his maternal uncle Paolo de' Legistis, secretary to Antonio de Guevara, Count of Potenza, and became a page in his court. There he studied music and possibly composition, at first with the visiting Flemish musician Guillaume Garnier and then Josquin des Préz.
On the death of his father in 1481 he returned to Aquila, where he gained fame for performing the poetry of Petrarch to his own accompaniment on the lute.
Leaving for Rome in 1484, he entered the service of Cardinal Ascanio Sforza and formed a connection with the literary circle of the Papal Apostolic Secretary Paolo Cortese, where he became friendly with Vincenzo Colli (il Calmeta), his eventual biographer.
Having caused offence by castigating the vices of the Papal court in a satirical composition, he left his patron to settle in Naples again.
In 1494, however, he had to quit the city at the onset of warfare. During the next few years he visited Urbino, Mantua, Milan and other northern Italian cities, performing at their courts. In 1500 he returned to Rome. After his death from fever, he was buried in the church of Santa Maria del Popolo.
Serafino dell'Aquila died of a fever in Rome on 10 August 1500
Serafino dell'Aquila was an Italian poet and musician whose poems were extravagantly praised during the author's lifetime, are occasionally of considerable merit. His reputation was in great measure due to his remarkable skill as an improvisatore and musician. His works were printed at Venice in 1302, and there have been several subsequent editions.
In 1500 he was made a Knight of Malta but only survived a few months to enjoy that honour.
In Naples he became a member of the Academy of Pontano, where he associated with Jacopo Sannazaro, Pier Antonio Caracciolo and Benedetto Gareth (il Chariteo), whose eight-lined strambotti he took as model for his own.