Barbara Strozzi: 8 March

[doversoul1]

Lucie Skeaping is joined by Laurie Stras to profile the life and music of the prolific 17th Century Venetian composer and singer Barbara Strozzi. @bbcradio3 #womensday
Born in 1617, the daughter of a servant girl Barbara was brought up and educated by the poet Giulio Strozzi, who was probably her father. She first tasted fame at her father's 'Academies' in Venice for her 'bold and graceful manner' before going on to publish eight volumes of music, mostly for solo voice. But, despite her remarkable achievements as a singer and composer, she appears to have died in poverty around 1677

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b051zxl5

…to have died in poverty
Truly trans-gender-ic

fyi (just in case)
Laurie Stras is a Professor of Music at the University of Southampton with research interests in early music, popular music, and music and disability studies

http://www.southampton.ac.uk/music/about/staff/lastras.page

[ardcarp]

That was a lovely programme, especially in that the music played was IMO exquisitely performed. In particular I'd mention Strozzi's L'Astratto towards the end....very expressively and movingly sung. As was mentioned in the programme, one did not have to think 'female composers' at all....Strozzi is up there with Cavalli and the rest...and what an interesting figure too.

My only quibble (and I suppose I'm allowed to have one) is that guest expert Laurie Stras, when asked if Strozzi 'had a good voice', said yes, on the grounds that she wrote good vocal lines. Well, er, that's not very scientific. I mean, could we say Mozart 'had a good voice' on the evidence of The Queen of the Night's aria? I guess a good composer is, by definition, good at writing for the forces available.

A fascinating fact (if true) was that Strozzi was the first woman known to have written music for the Catholic Liturgy.

[Old Grumpy]

That was a lovely programme

Agreed - just catching up with it now.