The Italian way of life attracted people from northern Europe even in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries—the Flemish composer Johannes Ciconia spent his working life in Rome and Padua, where he composed the next two songs especially to tickle the vanity of his patrons.
Per quella strada, for the Carrara family of Padua, and
Una panthera, in honour of the city of Lucca, depict heraldic devices with breathtaking coloratura virtuosity.
from notes by Catherine Bott © 2006
