1500–1800, transl. Elizabeth Wiles-Portier (Cambridge,
U.K.: Polity, 1990).
Cabot, John (Giovanni Caboto) (1450–1498) Italian
navigator and explorer
Born in Genoa, Cabot moved to Venice in 1461. His trad-
ing voyages around the Mediterranean made him an ex-
pert navigator. In 1484 he moved to London, and then on
to Bristol. The move was probably inspired by Britain’s At-
lantic position and status as a trading nation, encouraging
Cabot’s vision of a NORTHWEST PASSAGEto Asia.
In 1496 Henry VII commissioned Cabot and his sons
to colonize any territories they discovered for England; in
return Cabot was to enjoy trading rights. On May 2, 1497
the Matthew sailed west for Asia with Cabot and 18 sailors
aboard. He landed on Cape Breton Island off the coast of
Canada on June 24 and claimed it for England. Convinced
he had discovered Asia, Cabot returned to Bristol, where
he easily found backing for a five-ship expedition. This
sailed in May 1498. Cabot hugged the east coast of Green-
land at first but later may have gone south along the east
coast of America as far as Chesapeake Bay. Lack of sup-
plies caused a mutiny, and Cabot was forced to return to
England, where he died in obscure circumstances.
Further reading: James A. Williamson, The Cabot
Voyages and Bristol Discovery under Henry VII (Cambridge,
U.K.: Cambridge University Press for the Hakluyt Society,
1962).
Cabot, Sebastian (1476–1557) Italian navigator
Probably born in Venice, then raised in England, Cabot
was the son of John CABOT, on whose northwestern voy-
ages he began his career. In 1512 HENRY VIIIemployed him
as cartographer, an occupation he continued for King Fer-
dinand II of Aragon. Ferdinand’s successor, Charles V, pro-
moted Cabot to pilot major (1519). In 1525 he was sent to
develop commercial relations with the Orient, but was dis-
tracted by fabulous tales of South America’s wealth. For
five years he explored the navigable rivers of the conti-
nent, before returning to a furious Charles V who ban-
ished him to Africa. In 1533 he was pardoned and
reappointed pilot major. In 1548 Cabot returned to Eng-
land where he ended his days as governor of the Merchant
Adventurers. His 1544 world map shows details of his
own and his father’s American discoveries.
Cabral, Pedro Alvares (c. 1467–c. 1520) Portuguese
explorer
Born in Belmonte of the lesser nobility, Cabral was ap-
pointed by King Manuel I to command a fleet of 13 ships
and 1200 men bound for the East Indies. He set sail on
March 9, 1500. He soon drifted westwards a long way off
course, a mistake which some authorities suspect was
premeditated. He became caught in the Atlantic’s westerly
currents, and made landfall in Brazil, which he claimed
for Portugal. After 10 days in Brazil, Cabral sent one
ship home with news of his discovery, and sailed east for
India with the rest. During the voyage seven vessels
sank. Bartholomeu DIAZwas among the dead. After found-
ing a factory at Calicut, Cabral returned to Portugal and
retired.Caccini, Francesca (1587–after 1641) Italian composer
and court singer
The daughter of Giulio CACCINI, she was born into a tal-
ented family of professional musicians; her sister Settimia
Caccini was also a singer. At home, she learned to play the
guitar, harp, and keyboard and also wrote poetry. She was
a singer at the wedding of Marie de’ Medici and Henry VI
of France in Florence in 1600. In 1607, the year she mar-
ried court singer Giovanni Battista Signorini, she herself
entered Medici service as singer (of both sacred and secu-
lar works), singing teacher to the duke’s daughters, and
composer. Her first publicly performed work was music
for a carnival in 1607; during her 20 years at the Medici
court she became its highest paid musician, contributing
compositions to 13 musical entertainments, as well as
writing operas. Only one of these, La liberazione di Rug-
giero, first performed in 1625 to honor the visit of a Polish
prince, has survived. She toured Italy, performing with her
husband in 1617. An anthology of her songs, Il primo libro
delle musiche (1618), includes duets, arias, motets, and
hymns, many from Latin sacred texts.Caccini, Giulio (c. 1545–1618) Italian composer and
singer
Probably born in Tivoli or Rome, Caccini was taken to
Florence by COSIMO I DE’ MEDICIaround 1565; his singing
made a great impression there, and his fame spread
throughout Italy. Caccini was among the musicians and
intellectuals who frequented Count Giovanni BARDI’s salon
in Florence, and was acclaimed as the inventor of a new
style of song, the stile recitativo, which was evolved there.
Caccini’s first mention as a composer was in 1589 when he
contributed music for the marriage of Grand Duke Ferdi-
nando I. In 1600 he was made musical director at the
Medici court, remaining in the family’s service until his
death. His Euridice (1600) was the first published opera; it
was written to rival Jacopo Peri’s opera of the same name.
His two songbooks, Le nuove musiche (1602, 1614), are
collections for solo voice and figured bass. In the first
there is a preface on the new style of singing and compo-
sition that Caccini had adopted; in the actual music, em-
bellishments, which were normally improvised, are
written out in full. Caccini’s declamatory monody sought
to capture the spirit of ancient Greek music, but is not
noted for its lyricism.CCaacccciinnii,, GGiiuulliioo 8811