The Italian lutenist Francesco Canova, variously known, but most often described as from Milan, the place of his death in 1543, spent much of his life in the service of the Popes and of leading cardinals in Rome. His lute music was widely known, as attested by the diffusion of copies of his music through Europe, and his compositions were used as a basis of work by other composers, further testimony to his international reputation as a composer.
