Francesca Caccini (September 18, 1587 – c. Events 96 - Nerva is proclaimed Roman Emperor after Domitian is assassinated 1640) was an Italian composer, singer, lutenist, poet, and music teacher of the early Baroque era. Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest Lute can refer generally to any plucked string instrument with a neck (either Fretted or unfretted and a deep round back or more specifically to an instrument from Baroque music describes an era and a set of styles of European classical music which were in widespread use between approximately 1600 and 1750. She was the daughter of Giulio Caccini, and was probably the most famous and influential female European composer, in any genre, between Hildegard of Bingen in the 12th century and the 19th century. Giulio Caccini ( October 8 1551 &ndash December 10 1618) was an Italian composer teacher singer instrumentalist and writer Hildegard of Bingen (Hildegard von Bingen Hildegardis Bingensis 1098 – 17 September 1179) also known as Blessed Hildegard and Saint Hildegard The 19th century of the Common Era began on January 1, 1801 and ended on December 31, 1900, according to the Gregorian calendar Her opera, La liberazione di Ruggiero, was the first opera by a woman composer. La liberazione di Ruggiero dall'isola d'Alcina ( En "The Liberation of Ruggiero from the island of Alcina" is a Comic opera

Francesca Caccini

Life

Caccini was born in Florence, most likely receiving her early musical training with her father. Florence ( Italian: Firenze Florentia and Fiorenza) is the Capital City of the Italian region of Tuscany Her first recorded appearance in public is as a singer at the wedding of Henry IV of France and Maria de Medici in 1600; her father took part in organizing and composing the music for the sumptuous entertainment involved. Henry IV (Henri IV ( 13 December 1553 &ndash 14 May 1610) ruled as King of France from 1589 to 1610 and as Henry III Marie de' Medici ( April 26, 1575 &ndash July 3, 1642) was Queen consort of France. In 1604 when the entire Caccini family visited France, Henry praised her singing effusively—"you are the best singer in all of France"—and asked her to stay at his court; however the Florentine officials denied his request, and she returned to Italy, where her fame continued to grow. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Shortly afterwards she attracted the attention of Claudio Monteverdi as well, who praised her singing and instrumental performance. In 1607 she married a member of the Florentine Camerata, Giovanni Battista Signorini. The Florentine Camerata was a group of humanists Musicians Poets and Intellectuals in late Renaissance Florence who gathered

In her early life Caccini performed with her parents and brother and sister, under the name Concerto Caccini. Later, as she became more of a virtuoso performer, she formed a Concerto delle donne (similar to the Concerto de donne of Ferrara) with her sister Settimia Caccini and the Roman performer Vittoria Archilei. A virtuoso (from Italian virtuoso, late Latin virtuosus, Latin virtus meaning skill manliness excellence is an individual Second page of O dolcezz'amarissime Settimia Caccini ( October 6, 1591 -c 1638, Italy) was an Italian Composer and Singer. Vittoria Archilei ( La Romanina) ( fl 1582 – 1620 was an Italian singer dancer and Lutenist She was the wife of Antonio Archilei She performed in the second opera ever, Jacopo Peri's Euridice, although the parts she sang were by her father Giulio. Jacopo Peri ( August 20 1561 &ndash August 12 1633) was an Italian Composer and singer of the transitional period between Euridice (also Erudice or Eurydice) written October 6 1600, is an Opera written in Florence At this time she was sometimes referred to as La Cecchina.

An anonymous cameo portrait of Francesca Caccini

During this time she was also developing her skill as a composer. In conjunction with the librettist Michelangelo Buonaroti the Younger (grand-nephew of the artist) she wrote the music for many intermedi at the Medici court, and she also began writing in the then-new form of opera. A libretto is the text used in an extended Musical work such as an Opera, Operetta, Masque, sacred or secular Oratorio and For the film see Intermedio (film. The intermedio, or intermezzo, in the Italian Renaissance, was a theatrical performance Opera is an art form in which Singers and Musicians perform a Dramatic work (called an opera which combines a text (called a Libretto By 1618 she was one of the highest paid employees of the court, and was receiving more than her father had.

One of her greatest successes came in 1625 when she wrote an opera for a visiting prince from Poland, Ladislaus Sigismondo (later Władysław IV). Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland This article is about the 17th century king of Poland For another person sometimes mentioned as Wladislaw IV of Poland in works of reference see the 14th century Władysław This opera, La liberazione di Ruggiero dall'isola d'Alcina, was also performed in Warsaw in 1628; this is the earliest verified performance of an Italian opera outside of Italy. Warsaw (Warszawa; also known by other names) is the Capital and Largest city of Poland.

Records of her later life are sparse. Florentine records show that a Francesca Caccini, wife of a senator, died in 1640, which would imply that she remarried if this was her; alternatively that may have been someone else, and she may have died earlier. A death date of 1630 is given in some sources.

Works

Francesca wrote five operas, four of which have been lost (only La liberazione di Ruggiero has survived). Of her numerous smaller compositions, sacred, secular, vocal and instrumental, the only surviving collection is her publication of 1618, Il primo libro delle musiche, which contains pieces for one or two voices and basso continuo. Figured bass, or thoroughbass, is a kind of integer Musical notation used to indicate intervals, chords and Nonchord tones in relation They include madrigals, canzonette, settings of sonnets, strophic variations, as well as several sacred pieces which can be classified as early Baroque motets. A madrigal is a type of Secular vocal music composition written during the Renaissance and early Baroque eras In music a canzonetta (pl canzonette, canzonetti or canzonettas) was a popular Italian secular vocal composition which originated around 1560 The sonnet is one of the poetic forms that can be found in Lyric poetry from Europe. In Music, strophic form (or chorus form) is a sectional and/or Additive way of structuring a piece of Music based on the In Western music, motet is a word that is applied to a number of highly varied choral musical compositions In style they are monodies, and in some ways she exceeds her father in melodic and harmonic daring; clearly she was writing for her own voice, and for her own virtuoso singing capabilities much of the time. In Poetry, the term monody has become specialized to refer to a poem in which one person laments another's death

References

• Alexander, Ronald James; Richard Savino (November 1997). Francesca Caccini's Il Primo Libro Delle Musiche of 1618: A Modern Critical Edition of the Secular Monodies. Indiana University Press. ISBN 0-253-21139-5.  
• Raney, Carolyn (1986). "Francesca Caccini", in James R. Briscoe: Historical Anthology of Music by Women. Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press. ISBN 0-253-21296-0.  
• Raney, Carolyn (1980). "Francesca Caccini", in Stanley Sadie: The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. London: Macmillan Publishers Ltd. .  
• Raney, Carolyn (1971). Francesca Caccini, Musician to the Medici and her Primo Libro, Ph. D. dissertation. New York University.