Unknown Italian Women Composers
Female Musicians and Published Composers Rarely Made History Books
A brief overview of some Italian women composers in history who had their works performed or published in their lifetime.
There were many Italian female musicians who turned to composition and this article will briefly tell some interesting and informative facts about some of them.
Maria Andreozzi
Maria Andreozzi, Marquise de Bottini, was born in Lucca, on November 7, 1802 and died in Lucca on January 24,1858. She was elected to the Academie des Philharmoniques of Bologna for her many compositions. In her youth she studied in Italy with Domenico Quilici.
She was a prolific composer, and the list of her works is impressive by any standards. She composed pieces for the voice, harp and piano; several piano concertos; overtures; a requiem mass; an orchestral Magnificat; an opera, Elena e Gerardo as well as a cantata titled St.Cecilia.
Antonia Bembo
Antonia Bembo was born in 1670, in Venice. She became the composer to King Louis XIV and as such received a pension from him that allowed her to compose without financial worries.Her work, Produzioni armoniche, a collection of motets, duets ands solos set to sacred French, Italian and Latin texts can be found in the Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris.
Antonia Bembo also composed a Te Deum for 3 voices and string orchestra; Te Deum with large orchestra; Divertimento for 5-voice chorus and string orchestra; Exaudiat , for 3 voices, 2 symphonic parts and basso continuo; Les Sept Pseaumes de David, for various vocal combinations and an opera, L'Ercole Amante (1701).
Angelica Catalani
Angelica B. Catalani was born in Sinigaglia, May 10,1780, and died in Paris, June 12, 1849. She became a dramatic soprano and made her professional debut at Venice in 1795. Later in life she retired to her villa at Florence where she founded a school of singing.
Her works are for the voice and her brilliant “La Belle Molinara” enjoyed huge success with the public.
She had a 30-year career in the arts, during which time she managed the Theatre des Italiens in Paris for 3 years.
Gabrielle Ferrari
Gabriella Ferrari was born in Paris in 1851 and died there in 1921. She was a French-Italinan pianist and composer who composed 3 operas:
- Le Dernier Amour (Théátre Mondain, 1895);
- Le Tartare (1906) and
- Le Cobzar (Monte Carlo, 1909).
She was also the composer of piano pieces, songs and orchestral works.
Carlotta Ferrari was born in Lodi in 1837 and died in Bologna in 1907. Refused encouragement in the theatre as she was a woman, she nevertheless produced her opera, Ugo, at her own expense in Milan, 1871. She wrote 2 other operas and was also considered a master of the canon form.
She was commissioned by the Turin government to write a cantata for a Roman deputation at Turin, and a requiem mass for the anniversary of the death of King Charles Albert (1868).
These Italian composers deserve to be remembered for their works and for their courage to step out where women had never walked before.
Source: Women of Notes: 1,000 Women Composers Born Before 1900, Richards Rosen Press, Inc., NYC 1978
For further information about women in composition see:
Polish Mistress of the Harpsichord
American Composer Eugenie Rocherolle
