1570 - Milan, between 1613 and 1619).

Italian composer.
She was a nun at the Lateran Canoness house of S Maria Annunciata in Milan; her singing abilities were praised by Puteanus (Modulata Pallas, 1599) and Borsieri’s encomium (1619) remarks on her outstanding musical talents and model life as a nun.
Her two sacred songs, Vattene pur, lasciva orechia humana and Occhi io vissi di voi (for soprano and basso continuo; in Canoro pianto di Maria Vergine, belong to the north Italian monodic tradition; Vattene pur employs shifting modal centres to underline the surprise conceits of Angelo Grillo’s poem.

Bibliography:

C. Schmidl: Dizionario universale dei musicisti
E. Puteanus: Modulata Pallas (Milan, 1599; rev. Musathena, Hanover, 1602)
G. Borsieri: Il supplimento della nobiltà di Milano (Milan, 1619)
J. Bowers: ‘The Emergence of Women Composers in Italy, 1566–1700, Women Making Music: the Western Art Tradition, 1150–1950, ed. J. Bowers and J. Tick (Urbana and Chicago, 1986)
R. L. Kendrick: ‘Le sirene celesti’: Generations, Gender and Genres in Seicento Milanese Nuns’ Music (diss., New York U., 1993)
Grove Music Online: www.oxfordmusiconline.com

Author:

Robert L. Kendrick