Growing up learning about the great Classical and Baroque composers, musicians often tend to only hear about the men. Students hear about Bach, Handel and the greats, and find themselves asking if women were even allowed to compose music. During the late 1600’s and 1700’s there were many women who were seen as “ahead of their time.” Three prolific women composers from the Baroque era were Barbara Strozzi, Anna Isabella Leonarda, and Elisabeth-Claude Jacquet de la Guerre. Barbara Strozzi was a secular Italian composer who lived from 1619-1677. Her adoptive father, Guilo Strozzi, was a writer and owned a school called Accademia degli Unisoni which means “Academy of the Like-Minded.” She often performed her compositions privately within her
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Women were innovative in all forms of musicianship and participated in instrument building, publishing and composing in new styles. Barbara Strozzi, Anna Isabella Leonarda and Elisabeth-Claude Jacquet de la Guerre were not the only women composers and musicians of the Baroque Era even though they were very important. Other composers include Francesca Caccini, the eldest daughter of the Caccini family who sang in operas and composed them; Claudia Rusca, a nun who was a music teacher and organist; Maria Xaveria Peruchona, a nun also from Navarro who composed sacred concertos of motets; and Maddalena Lombardini, a violinist who was the most famous composer trained in Venetian Conservatories. Women had a hard time making a career during the Baroque Era but so many have survived throughout history. Women opera singers competed with castrati making it almost impossible to sing in operas. Many women composers were published under their father’s or husband’s name making it easier to get famous and spread around Europe. Women were extremely important in music in the Baroque time period both in and out of convents. Although it has taken a long time for these women composers to be discovered, they still have been. This discovery shows how women composers are just as important as men composers not only in the Baroque Era but in all of
Women were innovative in all forms of musicianship and participated in instrument building, publishing and composing in new styles. Barbara Strozzi, Anna Isabella Leonarda and Elisabeth-Claude Jacquet de la Guerre were not the only women composers and musicians of the Baroque Era even though they were very important. Other composers include Francesca Caccini, the eldest daughter of the Caccini family who sang in operas and composed them; Claudia Rusca, a nun who was a music teacher and organist; Maria Xaveria Peruchona, a nun also from Navarro who composed sacred concertos of motets; and Maddalena Lombardini, a violinist who was the most famous composer trained in Venetian Conservatories. Women had a hard time making a career during the Baroque Era but so many have survived throughout history. Women opera singers competed with castrati making it almost impossible to sing in operas. Many women composers were published under their father’s or husband’s name making it easier to get famous and spread around Europe. Women were extremely important in music in the Baroque time period both in and out of convents. Although it has taken a long time for these women composers to be discovered, they still have been. This discovery shows how women composers are just as important as men composers not only in the Baroque Era but in all of