Barbara Strozzi was one of the most talented figures of the seventeenth century. Strozzi was born in Venice in 1619 to Isabella Garzoni, servant to Giulio Strozzi. In 1628, Giulio Strozzi acknowledged Barbara as his natural daughter by referring to her in his will as his “figliuola elettiva”, meaning elective daughter and designating her as his heiress. (Spiller, Melanie. 2012)
Under Giulio Strozzi’s guidance, Barbara studied music with singer and opera composer Francesco Cavalli and developed an outstanding singing voice. By the age of 16, she sang at concerts in the Strozzi house, accompanying herself on one of the many instruments in the home. In 1635, the composer, Nicolò Fontei published his first volume of Bizzarrie Poetiche in Venice,
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In an article in Musical Quarterly in 1999, Beth L. Glixon wrote that Strozzi was “the most prolific composer – man or woman – of printed secular vocal music in Venice in the middle of the 17th century”. In 1644, Strozzi published her first opus “the first work that I, as a woman, all too daringly bring to the light of day”. Dedicated to the Grand Duchess of Tuscany, these madrigals featured texts written by her father. Her remaining eight published collections appeared after Giulio Strozzi died in 1652, with some texts written by her father’s friends; others by herself. Almost all of her works were secular and most were written for a lyric soprano. They show her flexible mastery of musical form as she moved easily between cantatas, ariettas and duets. Her significant body of work included six volumes of cantatas, more than any other composer working in that genre at the time.
Barbara Strozzi never married, but, by 1651, she had four children, three reputedly fathered by Giovanni Paolo Vidman, a friend of her father. Strozzi’s last published volume appeared in 1664. The following year she produced a group of songs for Carlo II, Duke of Mantua. Thereafter, little is known of her life. She remained in Venice until May 1677, when she moved to Padua, where, after a short illness, she died in November at the age of 58. (Schwartz, Davis.
Ruth Posner is one of the many few holocaust survivors and a great dancer, choreographer and actress. Ruth was born on April 20, 1933, in Warsaw. She was raised in a Jewish family with her parents, but went to a Catholic school. At home, she spoke Polish. Ruth suddenly started hearing offensive comments by some of her close Polish Catholic friends. They said things like “you killed Christ.” It was an incredible shock.” That was just the beginning. By the time she was just 12, and the Second World War was underway, Ruth had lost both her parents and her world as she knew it. She was in the middle of the Holocaust.
In the book, Giovanni and Lusanna, by Gene Bucker, he discusses the scandalous actions of a Florentine woman taking a wealthy high status man to court over the legality of their marriage. Published in 1988, the book explains the legal action taken for and against Lusanna and Giovanni, the social affects placed on both persons throughout their trial, and the roles of both men and women during the time. From the long and complicated trial, it can be inferred that women’s places within Florentine society were limited compared to their male counterparts and that women’s affairs should remain in the home. In this paper, I will examine the legal and societal place of women in Florentine society during the Renaissance. Here, I will argue that women were the “merchandise” of humanity and their main objective was to produce sons.
One famous quote from Barbara Jordan is “If you’re going to play a game properly, you’d better know every rule .” Barbara Jordan was an amazing woman. She was the first African American Texas state senator. Jordan was also a debater, a public speaker, a lawyer, and a politician. Barbara Jordan was a woman who always wanted things to be better for African Americans and for all United States citizens. “When Barbara Jordan speaks,” said Congressman William L.Clay, “people hear a voice so powerful so, awesome...that it cannot be ignored and will not be silenced.”
“I’ll be out of here and away from all you knaves for one time anyway, as not a month will pass before you’ll see whether I’m nobody or a somebody.” The story of Bianco Alfani reflected the nature of 14th century Florentine society where, as Alfani remarked, the election to public office could make or destroy a person. In late 14th century and early 15th century Florence, decreased population and expanding commerce provided a favorable environment for ambitious individuals. The real life examples of Buonaccorso Pitti and Gregorio Dati demonstrated the positive role of ambition in Florence. Pitti, a nobleman had an extremely successful career, partaking in military campaigns, holding public office in Florence and being an ambassador to foreign courts. Gregorio Dati, the grandson of purse venders, engaged in commerce, rising in social standing which culminated with his election to public office. Holding office was a definitive sign of success and recognition in Florence. In contrast was the tale Bianco Alfani, a deemed man unworthy of office. As told by Piero Veneziano, Alfani was the chief jailor in Florence who was duped into believing he had been named captain of the town of Norcia. Alfani publicly made a fool of himself, spending all his money and creating a great fanfare over his supposed appointment. Comparing the lives of Pitti and Dati to the story of Bianco Alfani illustrates how economic and social change in 14th century Florence produced a culture centered on reputation and commerce. For men like Pitti and Dati, who flourished within the constraints of Florentine society, their reward was election to office, a public mark of acceptance and social standing. Those who were ambitious but failed to abide by the values o...
In the traditional political history of Italy the people outside of the ruling class of the society were rarely studied. Only with the use of social history did the issues of class and gender begin to be debated by scholars. Numerous recent articles have done a great job of analysing particularly men of high status. In this paper I will look at the lower classes of Renaissance Florence. More specifically, I will center my focus on the lives of women during this era, how they were treated and viewed by people of other classes and how women were viewed and treated by men.
At any point in time, someone’s world can be turned upside down by an unthinkable horror in a matter of seconds. On June 20th, 2001 in a small, suburban household in Houston, TX, Andrea Yates drowned her five children in a bathtub after her husband left for work. The crime is unimaginable, yes, but the history leading up to the crime is just as important to the story. Andrea Yates childhood, adulthood, and medical history are all potent pieces of knowledge necessary to understanding the crime she committed.
Let me begin by offering a tidbit of biographical information about Florence Price. Florence Beatrice Smith Price was born April 9, 1888 in Little Rock, Arkansas. She was the third child born to Dr. James H. Smith, a dentist, and Florence Irene Gull, a schoolteacher. Previous to studying composition and organ at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Florence received her first musical training from her mother at age four. After much musical education, she was soon found teaching in the music departments at Shorter College in Arkansas (1906-1910), and Clark University in Georgia (1910-1912). In 1912, she married Thomas J. Price and together they had three children. Florence successfully established herself as a concert pianist, church organist, composer, and teacher, which soon became her claim to fame. A prominent composer of the Harlem Renaissance, Florence Price published her first composition at age eleven, and at age sixteen began receiving modest fees for her publications. Among her most famous compositions is the Symphony in E Minor, which received its world premiere at a performance by the Chicago Symphony in 1933. Florence died on June 3, 1953 of a stroke in Chicago, Illinois. It wasn’t until after her death in 1953, that she became well known for her miraculous musical talent.
Although the ‘Legend’ of the Wicked Italian Queen is limited by its personal malicious nature, it is credible in its demonstration of Catherine’s ambition f...
A rediscover of their history and recognition of early Greek philosophers changed the way that the influential families and Princes, in Italy, considered themselves. Their way of thinking of the Devine and need to promote one’s own aspirations through sponsorship of the arts, as well as, civic duty became not only fashionable but important to progress in the city states. Although Donatello’s David and Botticelli’s Primavera are master pieces in their own right, their influence on future generations of artists cannot be ignored. The spark that ignited the fire which we call the Renaissance was a transformation of societies thinking and values to a Humanistic approach to one duties to society and the church. These two works are a reflection of the changing attitudes which would eventually change all of
Born in 1556, Giovanni Gabrieli was an Italian composer who worked for the St. Mark’s Cathedral in Venice. During his time there, he composed works for separate choirs for both vocal and instrumental performers. One of his most famous pieces comes from his Sacrae Symphoniae completed in 1597; the Sonata Pian e Forte. Gabrieli was both a composer and organist in Renaissance and Baroque transitional period which caused elements of both periods to be demonstrated within his compositions. With instrumental music becoming more popular, it was becoming quite common during this time to have a composer who also played an instrument, especially the piano or organ. Sonata Pian e Forte gained fame from being a work that demonstrated a few characteristics and ideas about sound that had yet to be seen or often used.
It was an early age when Monteverdi’s career began, he then published his first pieces, and this was based on as a collection of three-voice motets, at the age of fifteen. It was by 1591, when he went to Mantua as a musician for the Gonzaga court, by then he had already published books of “spiritual madrigals” in 1583, then another canzonettas in 1584, by 1587 and 1590 he published his first two books of “madrigals.” It was in Mantua he continued writing madrigals, and then in 1607 he produced his first work in the new genre of opera, the setting was of Orfeo. 1613, he was then appointed maestro di cappella at ST. Mark’s Cathedral which was held in Venice. Monteverdi had remained in Venice for the rest of his life, writing music in all different kinds of genres, including his final opera, “incoronaszione di Poppea in 1642.
Smith, R. “Eternal objects of desire. Art Review- Art and love in Renaissance Italy” in New York Times Art and Design, November 20, (2008)
At this time she was known for her performing with the Kneisel Quartet and performing her own Quintet for piano and strings, in F-sharp minor and her Gaelic Symphony. Before the Gaelic Symphony, she was known for her piece the Grand Mass in E-flat major, which consisted of an orchestra and voices. She has also written chamber music that included a piano trio and a piano quintet. She also wrote piano concertos. Also, she wrote one opera that consisted of one act called the Cabildo, that wasn’t performed until after she passed away. Overall, Beach had a variety of music compositions throughout her whole career. Also, she was a part of a group called the Second New England School of Composers, and she was the only female composer in the group. Furthermore, throughout the rest of her career, she either performed with the Boston Symphony again as a Piano soloist or the Boston Symphony started performing her own
For the musical composer essay, I have chosen to write about a man who I felt made the greatest impact on Romantic opera in the 19th century this master of a man was given the name Giuseppe Fortunio Francesco Verdi but was commonly known as Giuseppe Verdi by all who knew and loved him. This great man was born on either October 9, or 10 in the year 1813 in the community of Le Roncole, near a small town called Busseto in the province of Parma, Italy his astrological sign is that of a Libra. His mother and father were both of Italian descent and their names were Carlo and Luigia Verdi respectively. Now this is where it gets complicated Verdi told every person that talked to him about his background that his parents were illiterate peasants. Despite this lie that Verdi told them they later discovered that his parents were not illiterate peasants as he had claimed but were very smart individuals tha...
Brown, Patricia Fortini. Art and Life In Renaissance Venice. New York, NY: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1997.