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Balint BakfarkHungarian composer and lutenist
Date of Birth: 15.08.1507
Country:  Romania |
Content:
- Bálinth Bakfark: A Hungarian Lute Virtuoso
- Courtly Career
- Extensive Travels
- Exile and Later Years
- Musical Legacy
Bálinth Bakfark: A Hungarian Lute Virtuoso
Early Life and InfluencesBorn in 1506 or 1507 in Brașov, Transylvania (modern-day Romania), Bálinth Bakfark (sometimes referred to as Valentin) was the son of Tamás, a lute player. After his father's early death, Bakfark was raised by the Greff family and received musical training at the court of King John I Zápolya in Buda.
Courtly Career
Bakfark enjoyed favor under Isabella Jagiellon, John Zápolya's wife, and was granted nobility for his musical accomplishments. In 1550, he married Katarina, a Lithuanian widow who bore him two children. In 1549, he relocated to Poland, becoming the court lutenist for Sigismund Augustus II, a patron of arts who was also Isabella Jagiellon's brother.
Extensive Travels
From 1549 to 1566, Bakfark served as court musician while also traveling extensively throughout Europe. His fame grew, but he remained loyal to Sigismund Augustus II, despite offers from other monarchs to employ him.
Exile and Later Years
In 1566, Bakfark incurred the wrath of Sigismund Augustus II and fled to Vienna before soldiers could seize his belongings. He later returned to Transylvania but left again in 1571 for Padua, Italy. However, tragedy struck in 1576 when he succumbed to the plague, losing the majority of his manuscripts in the subsequent burning of his possessions.
Musical Legacy
Bakfark's prolificacy as a composer is evident, but much of his music remains unpublished due to its demanding nature. His surviving works include ten fantasies, seven madrigals, eight songs, and fourteen motets, all featuring exquisite polyphonic arrangements for the lute. He also transcribed vocal pieces by contemporary composers such as Josquin des Prez, Jacob Clement, Nicolas Gombert, and Orlando di Lasso.
