Jerome Bassano

Who was Jerome Bassano?

Jeronimo Bassano was an Italian musician who is noteworthy for having been head of a family of musicians — Anthony Bassano, Jacomo, Alvise, Jasper, John and Baptista — who moved from Venice to England and the household of Henry VIII to serve the court. Jeronimo himself never moved, however, but was listed in Venice as a "Maestro of the trumpets and shawms." Through Jeronimo's son Jacomo, who alone among his brothers did not join the recorder consort to Henry VIII, but kept his primary residence in Venice, Jeronimo is very likely a great-grandfather to the composer Giovanni Bassano.

Jeronimo was the son of Baptista "Piva" of Bassano del Grappa, a town 35 miles from Venice. Baptista was a musician who played the piva, a small bagpipe. He was the son of Andrea de Crespano who was from the village of Crespano, about nine miles east of Bassano. Andrea, Baptista and Jeronimo were all described as musicians and musical instrument makers. At the beginning of the 16th century, Jeronimo moved from Bassano to Venice where he was described as "Maestro Hieronimo", piffero player to the Doge of Venice between 1506 and 1512. The historian A.L.