There’s an old adage that goes something like history is written by the victors. In the case of Western Cultural history, all too often women’s creative roles are sidelined in favor of their male counterparts.
It seems that only in quite recent times has the focus turned adequately towards female composers and a recognition of their valuable contribution to music and other arts.
The Baroque era is no exception, with many names now lost in the mists of time and others rarely mentioned, let alone performed.
Female Composers: Neglected in Baroque Era
1. Francesca Caccini (1587-1640)
The daughter of a well-respected performer and songwriter Giulio Caccini, Francesca Caccini was one of the most popular and prolific composers of her age.
Caccini’s talents were many; she could perform professionally on the guitar, theorbo, lute, harp, and harpsichord. Her voice was remarkable, and by the age of twenty, Caccini was employed as a musician at the Medici Court.
Caccini, famed for her voice, took naturally to the composition of song. It is thought that she composed hundreds of songs, although most are lost. She is also credited with being the first woman to compose an opera.
This makes her all the more important, as opera as an art form was only just gaining ground. La liberazione di Ruggiero dall’isola d’Alcina premiered in Florence, Italy in 1625.
The plot is intricate but contains everything needed to make an audience sit up and take notice, including good and evil sorceresses and dragons.
Throughout her life, Caccini moved within the higher strata of society. The Court of Medici was the place to be, allowing her access to the latest scientific, cultural, and philosophic concepts.
Caccini was thought to be close to Galileo, illustrating how influential some of her contemporaries were. Alongside her musical activities, Caccini was also a passionate teacher.
She sensibly passed her wisdom and experience onto her daughter, Francesca, who followed in her mother’s footsteps before seemingly disappearing from history.
2. Leonora Duarte (1610-1678)
Similarly to Caccini, Leonora was born into a musical family. Her family were a wealthy Jewish family of jewellers, who, given the dangerous time in which they lived, had to practice their faith in secret.
The Duarte family were deeply musical, creating the perfect environment for a curious and creative girl to grow up in. Leonora was one of six children who moved from Portugal to settle with her family in Antwerp during the infamous Inquisition.
Duarte’s father was not only a successful jeweller but also a fine harpsichord player. He was well-connected and knew the keyboard craftsmen called Ruckers and painters Vermeer and Rubens.
As a family, the Duarte’s were major patrons of the Arts, all of which would have assisted Leonora’s immersion into Baroque culture. Duarte was schooled in the art of playing the viol, virginal, and lute, as well as receiving composition lessons.
One of her earliest works is scored for five viols. It is a set of seven pieces she called Symphonies in the late Jacobean style.
Her compositional talent was evident from this early stage onwards, and as far as scholars are able, she went on to compose many works, including some in collaboration with her brother.
The seven short pieces, or Sinfonias, are her only surviving works. They show a composer with a formidable gift and a fierce personality.
3. Barbara Strozzi (1619-1677)
Barbara Strozzi is another example of a remarkable individual who has largely faded into obscurity. Born in Venice into a relatively well-to-do family, she found herself amidst the hubbub of 17th century Italy in its cultural heyday.
The Strozzi family were a powerful group with influence parallel to that of the Medici. As such, Barbara would have grown up in an environment filled with leading thinkers and creators of the day.
Barbara’s father, Giulio, recognized his daughter’s immense potential and founded an academy (Accademia degli Unisoni) to support her performing and composing.
This foundation caused something of a stir amongst Venetian society, with some casting questions on Barbara’s virtue. Many, however, were impressed with her musical grace and demeanor, ignoring the gossip.
Barbara was a gifted singer and instrumentalist, but also a respected composer. As far as we know, she composed almost only for voices. There is a single volume of sacred songs and a remaining set of works of a secular nature.
Her choice of texts, often from poet Giambattista Marino, allowed her to express herself and highlight issues relating to gender. These subliminal undercurrents would not have gone unnoticed.
Barbara Strozzi was one of the most prolific female composers who succeeded in having many of her compositions printed without the financial support of the Church.
Instead, it is thought that Barbara became the concubine for nobleman Giovanni Paolo Vidman, who was a major patron of The Arts. In this way, she secured her artistic ambitions and found a way to live with the tittle-tattle.
4. Isabella Leonarda (1620-1701)
In some ways, the life of Isabella Leonarda is similar to that of Hildegard von Bingen. Leonarda was Italian, born in Novara, near Milan, into an influential family. Her father was a count and a Doctor of Laws.
The family lineage is impressive, as is their devotion to the church. At the age of only sixteen, Leonarda entered the Collegio di Saint’Orsola (a convent in Novara) and remained there for the remainder of her life.
It would seem that the early part of Leonarda’s life was given wholly to her duties at the convent, with little evidence of any surviving compositions. She rose through the ranks of the convent, attaining several titles indicating her superior position at the institution.
Leonarda’s compositional output begins around 1640 and covers nearly sixty years of productive creativity. As you might expect, her compositions, which number two hundred, were dominantly sacred and include motets, Masses, Magnificats, psalms, and sacred concertos.
Instrumental works are what Leonarda is perhaps best known for now. Her Sonatas are remarkable. Not only was Leonarda the first woman to publish sonatas, but her structural innovation is of great historic importance.
She did not follow conventions; instead, she divided works into several movements, often including recitative-like passages that encouraged the performer to improvise and embellish.
Some works have as many as thirteen sections, contrasting homophony with intricate polyphony that demonstrates beautiful harmonic colours.
5. Élisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre (1665-1729)
Élisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre’s initial claim to fame is that she was the first female composer to publish an opera in France. She was an outstanding keyboard player born into a family of musicians and creators of instruments.
Quickly, Élisabeth’s creative facilities emerged, and she gained a reputation as a child prodigy. This would have helped her attain a place under the King’s mistress, Madame de Montespan, at the Court of Louis the Fourteenth.
She did not remain in the service of the King for long, marrying Marin de la Guerre, himself a well-established harpsichordist, composer, and teacher.
Élisabeth’s substantial output, however, was usually dedicated to the King, indicating that despite her leaving the court, her loyalty and connections to the King remained intact.
While it is thought that a substantial number of her compositions have been lost, her first publication was a group of pieces for harpsichord titled Pieces de Cavessin from 1687.
This was unusual, as the instrument and publication of compositions for it were still rare in France. The pieces are based on typical dance forms. Further pieces followed, adopting alternately both Italian and French styles of the day, including her Sonatas for Violin and Harpsichord.
It is perhaps Élisabeth’s vocal music that is better known today. Her pioneering opera Céphale (adapted from Ovid’s Metamorphoses) was sadly not greeted with much favor but remains unique for its historic timing.
Élisabeth also published secular and sacred cantatas that beautifully and sensitively set the text in the natural rhythms of speech.