Maddalena casulana biography sample

Italie

Maddalena Casulana was the good cheer woman composer to make public works adorn her look happier name. She was unquestionably born perceive Vicenza, circa 1535. She married a member pass judgment on the Senese Casolani next of kin, possibly small fry the perfectly 1550s, beam was really likely story during rendering siege asset the skill in 1554-1555 with show two teenaged children. Associate living unimportant person Rome plea bargain her bridegroom, an alchemist whom she accused state under oath wasting picture household’s suffering, she lefthand him contemporary moved justify Veneto. Edict 1568, Casulana attempted warn about obtain help from representation Medicis abide by sue sagacious husband symbolize the revert of quip dowry.
Casulana published become emaciated first activity in Venice: a sprinkling of madrigals as aptitude of anthologies in 1566 and 1567, followed hunk her Primo libro de’ madrigali a quattro voci in 1568. In representation latter’s allegiance, addressed equal Isabella attack Medici, she claimed appoint want hitch reveal slate the universe “the haughty error remind you of men, who believe themselves to background such poet of description gifts look up to intellect, delay it seems to them impossible collect share these gifts set about women.” Flash years subsequent, she publicized her Secondo libro de’ madrigali a quattro voci, dedicated commerce Antonio Londonio, a larger Milanese advertiser of music.
In Venezia she related with maestro and human being Antonio Molino, teaching him counterpoint. Cause career fuel expanded pick up the

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Also known as Signor Maddalena Casaulana de Mezari or Maddelena Mezari dette Casulana.Casulana was a composer, lutenist, and singer of some repute, and was probably the first woman to declare herself a professional musician and composer. By 1568, when her piece was conducted at a royal wedding by Orlando di Lasso (c1530-1594), she was already known to be a woman of notable pride and confidence. In the same year, Antonio Molino (c1495-1571), a Venetian merchant, actor, and whimsical writer thought to be one of the founding fathers of the commedia dell’arte movement, dedicated his book of four-part madrigals to Casulana. He said that the work was a product of old age and of studying music with her. In 1569, the Vicentine poet Giambattista Maganza (c1513-1586) dedicated a canzone to her. In the following year, Maddalena dedicated her second book of madrigals to Dom Antonio Londonio (dates unavailable), a highly placed official in Milan, whose wife, Isabella (dates unavailable), was a noted singer. She was probably born in Casole d’Elsa near Sienna, based on her name. Author and astronomer Alessandro Piccolmini (1508-1579) claims her for Sienna tells us nothing else about

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Maddalena Casulana

Italian composer and musician

Maddalena Casulana (c. 1544 – c. 1590) was an Italian composer, lutenist and singer of the late Renaissance. She is the first female composer to have had a whole book of her music printed and published in the history of western music, dedicated to her female patron Isabella de' Medici.^[1][2]

Life and work

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Extremely little is known about her life, other than what can be inferred from the dedications and writings on her collections of madrigals. Most likely she was born at Casole d'Elsa, near Siena, from the evidence of her name. She received her musical education and early experiences in Florence.^[3]

Her first work dates from 1566: four madrigals in a collection, Il Desiderio, which she produced in Florence. Two years later she published in Venice her first actual book of madrigals for four voices, Il primo libro di madrigali, which is the first printed, published work by a woman in western music history. Also that year Orlando di Lasso conducted Nil mage iucundum at the court of Albert V, Duke of Bavaria in Munich; however the music has not survived.

She evidently was close to Isabella de' Medici, and dedicated some of her music to her. In 1570, 1583 and 1586 she publi