Francesco Zappa

18th-Century Italian Classical Composer

Francesco Zappa was an 18th-century Italian composer whose music was relatively unknown until the 20th century. Not to be confused with the American musician Frank Zappa, Francesco Zappa's career as a composer is not extensively documented, and little is known about his life. However, he came back into the spotlight when Frank Zappa, intrigued by the coincidence of their shared last name, released an album titled "Francesco Zappa" in 1984. This album featured performances of Francesco Zappa's compositions, which were played and digitally recorded using a Synclavier, one of the earliest digital synthesizers. The release helped to bring some attention to Francesco Zappa's baroque-era compositions, although he remains a relatively obscure figure in classical music history.