Complete Encyclopaedia of Music/A/Aaron, Pietro

Aaron, Pietro, a Florentine of the order of Jerusalem, and canon of Rimini, was a voluminous writer on music. The most considerable of his writings is "Il Toscanello delta Musica," 1523, 1529, 1539 - a rare and important work. He gave in it a decalogue, or ten precepts for counterpoint, in honor, it is said, of the ten commandments of God ; and six precepts of less importance, in honor of the six commandments of the church. His works became particularly useful, from being for the most part written in Italian; whereas those of almost all the preceding musical writers were in the Latin language. Pietro Aaron gives a list of such extraordinary performers as were able to sing from notes, "cantare a libro," by which we may suppose that the art was then in its infancy.