Ascanio Mayone

Who was Ascanio Mayone?

Ascanio Mayone was a Neapolitan composer and harpist. He trained as a pupil of Giovanni de Macque in Naples, and worked at Santissima Annunziata Maggiore there as organist from 1593 and maestro di cappella from 1621; he was also organist at the royal chapel from 1602. He published madrigals, but his main work is his two volumes of keyboard music, Capricci per sonar. These contain canzonas, toccatas, variations, and arrangements of vocal pieces, many of which are distinctively Baroque rather than Renaissance in style.