This
month, Clef Notes is looking at talented women composers throughout music
history. Today, let’s introduce Barbara Strozzi (1619–1677) to the discussion.
Adopted daughter of the librettist and poet Giulio Strozzi, Barbara grew up
surrounded by intellectuals in Giulio’s Venetian group, the Academy of the
Unknowns. Once he discovered that Barbara exhibited musical talent, he formed a
subset of the group, the Academy of the Likeminded, in which he allowed Barbara
to reside over, singing and suggesting topics for group discussion.
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| Barbara Strozzi: Courtesy of wikimedia.org |
Barbara
was declared a virtuoso by 15, and Giulio did his best to publicize her
throughout his circles in Venice. He even wrote many texts himself, and then
worked to get the accompanying music dedicated to her. He also gave her lessons
from Francesco Cavalli, doing everything he could to cultivate her talent. Some
scholars believe that, in addition to helping along Barbara’s musical
ambitions, Giulio also planned for her to be a courtesan. She ended up having
several children with the already-married Giovanni Paolo Vidman.
In
addition to being a celebrated singer, Barbara Strozzi also composed. Next
time, we’ll look at an example of her work.
