Barbara Strozzi (1619–1677) was primarily recognized during her life as a singer, but she also was a talented composer. After writing her First Book of Madrigals in 1644, she feared what the community response would be, since she was a woman. Unfortunately, her first attempt did not establish her in the great musical canon. She did not lose hope, however, writing seven additional volumes, hoping to assert her own voice rather than that of the controlling men in her life.
Barbara was actually quite talented at composition; the music writer Charles Burney stating 100 years following her death that she may have originated the cantata form in Italy! Listen to "Moralita amorosa" from her opus 3. This piece attacks women who lure men in with their enticing fashion. Note the lovely melisma at the beginning that sounds improvisatory. In reality, Barbara carefully noted every detail!
