#Barbara Strozzi

[city-of-ladies]

A pioneering female composer, Barbara Strozzi (1619-1677) defied the norms of her time. Unlike many women of her era, she was not a wife, a nun, or a courtesan; but an independent woman devoted to her music.

The heiress of the Muses

Barbara was immersed in music from an early age. Her father, Giulio Strozzi, an illegitimate member of the noble Strozzi family, played a significant role in Venetian musical life, writing librettos for major composers and poetry. Her mother, Isabella Garzoni, was Giulio’s longtime servant, possibly of Greek origin, as she was known as “La Griega” or “La Greghetta” (“The Little Greek”).

Unlike Nannerl Mozart, Barbara benefited from a supportive environment. Her father acknowledged her and provided her with a comprehensive education, allowing her to develop her talents from a young age. She trained with opera composer Francesco Cavalli, and by the age of 15, Barbara was already performing at gatherings in the Strozzi home. She possessed an impressive and flexible soprano voice, capable of singing complex compositions.

Her talent was widely recognized. In 1635 and 1636, composer Nicolò Fontei dedicated two volumes of solo songs to her. She also performed at meetings of her father’s intellectual circle, the Accademia degli Unisoni (“Academy of the Like-Minded”). Among the attendees was Giovanni Francesco Loredan, a supporter of feminist writer and nun Arcangela Tarabotti, who remarked that “had she been born in another era, surely she would have usurped or expanded the place of the muses.”

An extraordinary career

Barbara went on to publish her own compositions. In 1644, she released Il primo libro de madrigali (First Book of Madrigals, Opus 1), dedicated to Vittoria della Rovere, Grand Duchess of Tuscany, known for her patronage of female convents and musicians—a strategic choice on Barbara’s part.

Despite the dominance of opera, Barbara achieved recognition as a composer of chamber music. Her compositions showcased her vocal talent, though she sometimes wrote with other female voices in mind. Her songs explored themes of love, jealousy, joy, despair and sensuality. Most of her work was secular, but she also composed religious pieces in Latin—a unique accomplishment for a Catholic laywoman in early modern Europe.

Barbara’s work was more than just a portrayal of women as sensual temptresses; she also demonstrated a powerful and dramatic voice. An example of this is “Lagrime mie” (“My Tears”) from 1657, a poignant expression of a lover’s despair that fully utilized her vocal abilities.

Over her lifetime, Barbara published around 125 compositions across eight volumes, making her more prolific than any other female composer of her era. By 1656, her works were included alongside those of male composers in printed collections. While she did not perform publicly, her music has been preserved.

A troubled personal life

Barbara never married but had four children, at least three of whom were fathered by Giovanni Paolo Vidman, a friend of her father. Long-term concubinage relationships like theirs were not uncommon at the time.

The nature of their relationship remains unclear. An anonymous commentator wrote in 1677 that Giovanni Paolo had raped Barbara. This might seem contradictory given the length of their relationship, but societal norms of the time regarding female virginity sometimes forced women to remain with their aggressors to protect their reputations.

Through her work, Barbara was able to provide for her children. Giovanni Paolo died in 1648, leaving provisions for her and their children. Both of Barbara’s daughters entered convents, with the entrance fees paid by Giovanni Paolo’s wife, Camilla. Barbara rented a house from Giovanni Paolo’s brother until 1677 when she traveled to Padua, where she died of illness.

My Ko-Fi

Further reading

Kendrick Robert L., “Intent and textuality in Barbara Strozzi’s sacred music”

Magner Candace, “Barbara Strozzi, a brief history”

Ray Meredith K., Twenty-five women who shaped the Italian Renaissance 

[lesser-known-composers]

Barbara Strozzi (1619-1677)

[milkywayrollercoaster]

Cantate, ariette e duetti, Op. 2: L'amante consolato

[lutes-of-the-world]

My soprano friend Sarah Richards and I recorded an early 17th century Italian cantata by Barbara Strozzi:

Lyrics

[mrbacf]

Arie a voce sola, Op. 8: Che si può fare

[elmartillosinmetre]

Mi crítica del concierto de Dolci Affetti anoche en el Alcázar.

[sunset-supergirl]

Happy birthday Barbara Strozzi

[lagrimanegra]

[thelastgoodcountry]

Che si può fare? Le stelle rubelle Non hanno pietà

(What can you do? The stars, intractable, have no pity.)

— Barbara Strozzi, Che si può fare?

[mywingsareonwheels]

Modern technology/works/understanding/etc. I'd like to give "Endeavour" characters...

Morse: noise-cancelling headphones, an mp3 player with a huge amount of opera on it, non-alcoholic real ales (St Peter's Without, the alcohol-free Doom Bar, etc.), a subscription to medici.tv, awareness of Joyce DiDonato's voice. Shadi Bartsch's translation of The Aeneid. Awareness of ADHD and autism as Relevant To Him and some suitable online community. Also some therapy but that goes without saying...

Fred Thursday: Fred. <3 awareness of PTSD and C-PTSD as A Thing and both being relevant in his case (from the war & work and his childhood respectively) even more therapy than Morse needs. All those youtube channels with 24/7 livestreams of various wildlife. The complete works of Terry Pratchett. I'm almost tempted to say fandom spaces because the gentler of them might actually appeal to him a lot.

Max Debryn: more recent medical knowledge. Modern queer community including the more awesome online bits. The work of recently rediscovered composers such as Barbara Strozzi and Joseph Bologne. Possibly Carol Ann Duffy's poetry. Elly Griffiths' "Ruth Galloway" novels if he fancies a busman's holiday read. ;-) Other than that I think he has more to teach us than the other way around. :-)

Peter Jakes: see Fred re: PTSD and C-PTSD awareness and a huge amount of therapy. I'm tempted to add at least the option of more recent help with giving up smoking given a lot more is understood these days. A Netflix subscription and an excellent gaming system. Instant messenger things so he can keep in touch with Oxford friends while in the US.

Joan Thursday: an environment in which it's more usual for women to not give up their jobs on marriage (or not get married at all). A lot of more recent folk rock, singer-songwriter, pop, and indie music might hit the spot for her to add to what she already loves. Yet more therapy. An awesome community of intersectional feminists. The complete works of bell hooks.

Win Thursday: oh Win. Therapy, the Open University. Really good couples therapy with Fred because they clearly love each other so much but *boy* do they fuck up towards each other (mostly him, but not only him). Instant messenger for better keeping in touch with everyone. An air fryer.

Sam Thursday: more therapy, and addiction help. Anger management help. Oh bless him. <3

Reginald Bright: grief counselling, instant messenger, Abir Mukherjee's detective novels, online ordering of Indian groceries, places online to put his art and get it fully admired, and then instant messenger once he moves back to India.

Jim Strange: honestly? he's the only one who seems to weirdly thrive in the time he lives. But I *would* like to throw intersectional feminist, LGBT+ and anti-racism literature at him to help avoid his less admirable moments. And actually some online community (fandom even?) so he has more people to bond with that aren't at the Lodge or at work...

[lavenderfeminist]

Barbara Strozzi is my queen

[lesser-known-composers]

Barbara Strozzi (1619 - 1677) - Cantate, Ariette e Duetti, Opus 2 (1651), L' Eraclito Amoroso

PERFORMED BY: Kaho Inoue (soprano), Thomas Langlois (theorbo)

[keratonin]

omg do you still have any of your notes or reading refs for your queer musicology class??? that sounds so interesting!!!!!

i thought i had a bunch of the articles downloaded but i guess i did not?? i'm gonna have to rectify that i Must have them

anyway here's a list of topics we covered, not in order because i do not remember the order:

castrati and countertenors (see baroque opera, jakub josef orlinski and how he presents himself in performances)

disco, as well as mainstream reactions to it

camp (but i'm a cheerleader, the music video for aqua's barbie, the medici family and their skeleton float thing?, nina west and the music video for drag is magic, can instrumental music be camp and if so how so?)

ballroom culture (+ scissor sisters, as well as madonna's vogue and her work with the queer community)

queer country (the album lavender country in particular, the idea of authenticity in country music)

hildegard von bingen and eroticism in her compositions about the virgin mary

barbara strozzi, courtesans, and the female voice as sexuality (l'arianna, monteverdi's nymph, i read the word 'secretions' a lot)

diva culture, incl. britney spears and the simultaneous purity and sexuality that's expected of divas - and if they violate that they crash and burn. (i never brought up love me 4 me by rina sawayama in that class but that's highly relevant) beyonce is an apparent exception, she has a lot of control over her own art and image which is probably why. tied this back to madonna as well

see: music video for ...baby one more time (framing of britney spears, putting the whole thing in 'her imagination'), music video for diva by beyonce, vogue again

more diva culture but this time western classical music: lucia di lammermoor and mad scenes, feminine hysteria, coloratura singing, and containing female voices

also: carmen, chromaticism, tenor and soprano vs tenor and mezzo-soprano, soprano vs mezzo-soprano in general, carmen as the Other who needs to be contained

also lady gaga's born this way music video and how it interacts with the very controlled and palatable sexuality of smth like baby one more time. lady gaga and the monster ball tour in general

the elevation of the boy soprano as a particularly special/Holy voice (compared to a woman soprano or a man falsettist, for example)

madrigals and coded language (that one famous madrigal about swans, can't remember the original name atm but it's That One with the mille mort/million deaths), along with homosocial bonds in music (madrigals were normally sung by amateurs in a private setting)

YMCA as gay anthem (see the music video, YMCAs as hookup spots)

jayne county, t rex, glam rock, david bowie and how he used bisexuality in his public image as well as his interactions w jayne county

wendy carlos and how the act of synthesizing sound interacts with what we talked about before with the sexuality of the voice etc

i can't remember if we actually covered this in the class but my final paper was GOING to be on how melancholy affected john dowland's gender presentation, how that was perceived by his contemporaries vs how it's perceived today, and then my prof was like 'that is not an 8-10 page final paper that is a dissertation. let me know if you do want to write a dissertation tho' and then i had to narrow it down to gender perception of in darkness let me dwell and u know what? he was right i did easily fill 8-10 pages just talking about one (not very long) song

[horsegirl]

Tits out for barbara strozzi

[mrbacf]

Barbara Strozzi (1619-1677), “Sino alla morte” from Diporti di Euterpe, ...