Barbara Strozzi

Barbara Strozzi (born 1619, Venice [Italy]—died November 11, 1677, Padua) was an Italian virtuoso singer and composer of vocal music, one of only a few women in the 17th century to publish their own compositions.

Barbara Strozzi was the adopted daughter—and likely the illegitimate child—of the poet Giulio Strozzi; her mother, Isabella Garzoni, was a “long-time servant” in Giulio’s household. Giulio used his connections in the intellectual world of Venice to showcase his daughter and to advance her career. He was a member of the Venetian circle of intellectuals known as the Accademia degli Incogniti (“Academy of the Unknowns”), which met to discuss and debate questions of literature, ethics, aesthetics, religion, and the arts. The Incogniti were early proponents of Venetian opera in the late 1630s and ’40s, and, although there were no professional musicians among their members, their discussions sometimes centred on music. In 1637 Giulio formed a musical subset of the Incogniti, the Accademia degli Unisoni (“Academy of the Like-Minded,” also a pun on the musical term unison), which did count musicians as members; Barbara presided over this group, performing as a singer (likely including performances of her own compositions) and suggesting topics of discussion. She was the dedicatee of a number of publications, beginning with two volumes of music by Nicolò Fontei (Bizzarrie poetiche [“Poetic Oddities”] of 1635 and 1636) and including Le veglie de’ Signori Unisoni (1638; “The Vigils of the Like-Minded Academicians”), which documents some of the activities of the academy.

Strozzi’s role as hostess of the Unisoni and her very public involvement in music were satirized in an anonymous manuscript that may have been penned by a member of the Incogniti; the author equated her status as a musician with licentious behaviour, implying that she was a courtesan. Although it is unclear whether that accusation was true, a portrait by Bernardo Strozzi (not of the same family), apparently of Barbara, has been interpreted as supporting this claim. The portrait depicts her holding a bass viol, the shape of which mimics the female form, and she is partly bare breasted.

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Without her father’s connections and involvement in the musical activities of Venice, it is unlikely that Strozzi would have been able to launch a career as a composer, which she did in 1644 with the publication of a volume of madrigals, Il primo libro de’ madrigali (“First Book of Madrigals”). Between 1644 and 1664 she published eight collections of music, of which one—her opus 4—is now lost. The preface to her second collection cites Francesco Cavalli, one of the most-prominent and historically significant composers of 17th-century Venice, as her teacher. Although Strozzi was Giulio’s sole heir, she seems not to have gained financially when he died in 1652. That may have prompted her to publish several books in quick succession, perhaps in search of a steady patron. Her effort was apparently unsuccessful, and her financial situation remained tenuous throughout the remainder of her career.

Strozzi published many volumes of music, which in itself indicates that her music was well received. Her compositional output following her first volume of madrigals consisted mostly of arias, cantatas, and ariettas. The arias are generally short strophic pieces (every stanza is sung to the same music), while the cantatas are mostly longer sectional works in which the music changes to suit the meaning of the text. For example, impassioned or pathos-ridden poetry might be set as recitative, whereas music with dance rhythms might be used for poetry with a lighter character. Most of the poetry centres on the theme of love, in a manner consistent with the Marinist aesthetic of the mid-17th century, which valued wit, linguistic virtuosity, and erotic imagery. Her one collection of sacred motets, the Sacri musicali affetti (1655), was linked to the notion of Christian caritas, which represents the church as a benevolent mother; the volume was also connected to the devotional practices of its dedicatee, Anna de’ Medici, archduchess of Innsbruck.

Although she never married, Strozzi had four children; her two daughters joined a convent, and one of her sons became a monk.