Abstract: The relevance of the research lies in the urgent need for modern musicology to reconstruct the profession of a concert pianist. The subject of the study is the art of maestro al cembalo. The object of the research is the work of maestro al cembalo's and the features of his creative activity. The purpose of the research is to study the process of formation of the initial stage of the development of the profession of a concert pianist, which spanned the period from the late Renaissance to classicism. Research objectives: to highlight the main characteristics of joint performance using basso continuo; to provide information about the specific skills and knowledge that maestro al cembalo should have possessed; to show the importance of these musicians in the musical performances, as well as in the evolution of musical creativity; to present portraits of the most significant representatives of this profession. The author of the study focuses on the influence of maestro al cembalo's art on the formation of European concertmaster schools. In order to disclose the stated topic by the author, the following methods are used: anthropological, hermeneutic, comparative historical, theoretical and analytical methods. A special contribution of the author is the search, analysis and systematization of the archival funds of Italian theaters, as well as city archives, on the basis of which information about the life, work and specifics of maestro al cembalo's creative and pedagogical work has been introduced into scientific circulation. The main conclusions of the study show that the most important principles of professional activity of a modern pianist-concertmaster of a musical theater were formed several centuries ago. The results obtained can be applied both in conducting courses on the theory and history of performing arts, and in the practical activities of modern concert pianists. The conclusions of the study allow us to form a stable picture of the initial stage of the formation of concertmaster art, to trace its leading trends, which will be reflected in the subsequent development of this creative specialty.

Keywords: history of performing arts, music education, archival information, keyboard instruments, pianist-concermaster, concertmaster school, basso continuo, ensemble performance, maestro al cembalo, musical theatre