| Birth: | 1544 | | Death: | 1590 | 
Composer, Singer, Lutenist. A pioneer of the late Renaissance, she made history as the first woman to publish her music. She was widely admired by her contemporaries, surmounting by sheer talent the traditional sexism of the era. Little is known of Casulana's life. She was probably born in Casole d'Elsa, near Siena, Italy, and studied music there and in Florence; later she identified herself as a citizen of Venice. She toured the country as singer, accompanying herself on the lute before noble patrons, and very quickly gained an international reputation. In 1566 five of her madrigals appeared in the Florentine anthology "Il Desiderio", and two years later the great Orlande de Lassus conducted her motet "Nil mage iucundum" (now lost) in Munich. Another Flemish master, Philippe de Monte, also spoke highly of her talents. No doubt this emboldened her to publish a groundbreaking collection of vocal pieces, "Il primo libro di madrigali" (1568), at a time when women scarcely had access to the printing press, and never before in music. In the book's dedication to Isabella de Medici, Casulana defiantly announced her intention "to show to the world (to the degree that it is granted to me in this profession of music) the foolish error of men, who so greatly believe themselves to be masters of high intellectual gifts which cannot, it seems to them, be equally common among women". She proved her point with songs of great sensitivity and wit, occasionally fumbling in technique but original and imaginative in expression. "Il primo libro di madrigali" was a popular success, going through three editions. Casulana followed this with two more volumes of secular madrigals, for four voices (1570) and five voices (1583), as well as two books of "Madrigali spirituali" (c. 1580), but the latter have not survived. In the interim she married a man named Mezari and her musical activities gradually tapered off. A final song of hers appeared in the journal "Il Gaudio" in 1586. Beyond that her fate has eluded historians; an obscure 1591 reference by her editor suggests she had died before then. In all, 66 madrigals by Casulana are extant, the most famous of which are "My Heart Cannot Die" and "Death - What is Your Wish? - I Call to You". (bio by: Robert Edwards)
Search Amazon for Maddalena Casulana | | | Burial:
Body lost or destroyed
Specifically: Burial site unknown to historians |
Maintained by: Find A Grave
Record added: Sep 12, 2007
Find A Grave Memorial# 21520536 |
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