Petrucci

Ottaviano Dei Petrucci was born in Fossombrone in 1466 and died in Venice in May 1539.  He published the first printed collection of part-music from movable type, the Harmonice Musices Odhecaton A, in 1501.  He printed 59 volumes of sacred and secular music between 1501 and 1520.  His editions are the most important contributions by any printer from the beginning of the sixteenth century.

Before Petrucci, others had attempted to print music but woodcuts were too expensive and staves had to be drawn in by hand.  Petrucci's system required three impressions: the first for the staves, the second for the notation, and the third for the text.  He used type which was cast in metal.  Since he asked for the exclusive right to print in this fashion several years before he began, it's logical to conclude there was a tremendous amount of work involved in casting the type..In 1507 Petrucci printed the first book of lute tabulature, and in 1511 he published a book of songs with lute accompaniment.  In 1513 Petrucci was granted a fifteen year monopoly on the printing of mensural music and organ tabature.  However, he couldn't print the notation well and two years later the Pope rescinded the grant and gave it to Antico, who became Petrucci's chief rival(Antico used a combination of woodcut and metal type).  He is also responsible for the proliferation of Latin and Italian classical texts.