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A “priceless” study of the life and career of the Renaissance-era Italian who was the first woman to have composed an opera (Gender & History). “Extraordinary in its breadth, its detail, its insight, and its worth to all participants in early music…. Its contribution is not limited to the musical world, however, as Cusick’s remarkable command and analysis of her material…has immense value for scholars engaged in cultural studies, performance studies, history, politics, or the study of difference.”—Renaissance Quarterly A contemporary of Shakespeare and Monteverdi, and a colleague of Galileo and Artemisia Gentileschi at the Medici court, Francesca Caccini was a dominant musica...
Francesca Caccini (1587--ca.1640) was an accomplished composer, singer, and instrumentalist in the tradition of the Florentine Camerata. Her 1618 volume Il primo libro delle musiche was dedicated to her patron the Cardinal de' Medici (1596--1666). This modern critical edition presents 17 secular monodies for one and two voices with figured bass accompaniment from this landmark collection. The book includes text translations, biographical and stylistic essays, recommendations on performance practice, and other commentary.
"Do look after my music!" Irene Wienawska Polowski exclaimed before her death in 1932. And from the urgency of that sentiment the authors here have taken their cue to reveal and "look after" the previously neglected contributions of women throughout the history of Western art music. The first work of its kind, Women Making Music presents biographies of outstanding performers and composers, as well as analyses of women musicians as a class, and provides examples of music from all periods including medieval chant, Renaissance song, Baroque opera, German lieder, and twentieth-century composition. Unlike most standard historical surveys, the book not only sheds light upon the musical achievements of women, it also illuminates the historical contexts that shaped and defined those achievements.
Though rarely included in traditional music history, women have a remarkable tradition as composers of Western music. This book brings together musical and biographical material on twenty-five women, from the eleventh through the twentieth centuries. Each chapter focuses on one composer, providing an introduction to her life, an analysis of her music, a checklist of her works, and a bibliography. Extensive appendices include a historical outline showing female composers in relation to their more famous male contemporaries by period and genre, and suggestions for further readings and recordings.
Harness argues very convincingly that through their patronage of the figurative arts, musical theater, and early opera, the Medici women reinforced their position and their image as powerful women and capable rulers.
A history of vocal pedagogy from the beginning of the bel canto tradition of solo singing in the late 16th century and dealing extensively with such topics as the emergence of virtuoso singing, national singing styles, and the 'secrets' of bel canto.
Offering historical identity fortified by the presence of women belonging to the various areas of creative and intellectual life, this book allows readers to understand greater contexts of their identity. The history of female artists is an indicator of how social identity was erased from the historiography which asserted itself in nineteenth-century Europe. Analysis of the biographical pathways traced here reveals how women in the Middle Ages and beyond have been active protagonists of the arts, received reviews, as well as had an authoritative role as the esteemed and attentive witnesses of the society around them. Reconstruction of social relationships, intellectual and creative productio...
Works by women composers, including Francesca Caccini, Fanny Mendelssohn, Ethel Smyth, [et al]
This is the first comprehensive historical overview of music created by women from the 9th through the 20th centuries. Each volume features 10-25 complete musical scores or complete movements from multi-movement compositions--most of which have been previously inaccessible. Expert scholars provide original essays about the composers, including biographical information, a discussion of the music in historical context, and critical analysis of each work. Entries also include bibliography, a list of works by the composer, and a discography.