The Travels by Giuseppe Acerbi: a special Grand Tour from Italy to Cape North (1799-1800)

• Main Author: Mari, Licia
• Other Authors: Cafiero, Rosa, Lucarno, Guido, Rizzo, Raffaella G., Onorato, Gigliola
• Format: Book Part
• Language: English
• Published: Patron 2020
• Subjects: knowledge/training trip; traditional northern European music; diary; Acerbi; Giuseppe; Settore L-ART/07 - MUSICOLOGIA E STORIA DELLA MUSICA; North Cape
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10807/169913

Giuseppe Acerbi (1773-1846) was a naturalist, explorer and musician from Lombardy, with a formal education in Law and Music. Between 1799 and 1800 he travelled to northern Europe as far as the North Cape, in a kind of reverse Grand Tour. It was a journey to discover people, culture, art and music, all of which Acerbi described in a diary. He transcribed local melodies, drew sketches of traditional instruments and wrote music for special occasions. Acerbi became well-regarded among the local elites. In Finland his quartets were so popular that they are still being broadcast on the radio