Alessandro Piccinini  was a lutenist composer and writer on music who lived and worked in Bologna. His father, his two brothers and his son were lutenists too. He published a volume of "Intavolatura di liuto, et di chitarrone" in 1623 and a second volume of "Intavolatura di liuto" was published after his death by his son in 1639. The first volume has a preface that includes a short but detailed manual on lute technique and style. This section remains of interest to modern lute players and part of it is reproduced in English, French and German in a modern edition of some of the pieces (see below). According to Grove Music he also advanced a claim to have invented the archlute – the first extended-neck lute – in the 1590s, although the extended-neck chitarrone or theorbo (as a restrung and retuned bass lute) predated this invention. He also seems to have made modifications to the chitarrone .