Francesca Caccini

Francesca Caccini (1587-ca1641) Italian composer, singer and multi-instrumentalist extraordinaire – in addition, her education in languages and humanities was top notch for the time. She started her artistic path in the late renaissance and co-led the development into the early baroque, and contributed to pushing the musical dramas of the time into the genre of opera. She was the highest paid musician at the Medici court. Prior to her employment she toured Europe with the renaissance prequel to Jackson Five: the family band led by dad Giulio Caccini, also famous composer and musician. Together with her siblings (most notably, her sister Settima Caccini who also is remembered as a prominent composer today) she performed before most kings in Europe, including the Polish king/Swedish prince Wladyslaw Vasa who heard the première of the below mentioned La Liberazione.

Recommended listening:

CHAMBER MUSIC
Explore one of 30-ish songs from her publication Il primo libre delle musiche. This book is by the way a double treasure thanks to the fact that she has noted ornaments used in the period. Go study!

FOR BIGGER OCCASIONS
Feminist (?some writers claim) stage play (opera?) La Liberazione di Ruggiero, which in her days was staged many times in different countries. She probably wrote about fifteen more operas, but they have not yet been found. Exciting prospect 🙂

NB!
The very much loved Ciaccona (link below) isn’t actually composed by Caccini, but is a contemporary interpretation by Luigi Cozzolino in the style of Caccini. Very worthy of performing anyway but please bear this in mind and credit the right person.

På svenska:
Francesca Caccini (1587-ca1641) italiensk kompositör, supervirtuos multiinstrumentalist och sångerska, samt med en rik humanistisk utbildning. Hon började sitt skapande i den sena renässansen och var med och ledde utvecklingen in i den tidiga barocken, inte minst i gränslandet mellan musikskådespel och opera. Var på sin tid den högst betalda hovmusikern vid Medicis hov. Dessförinnan turnerade hon länder och riken runt med dåtidens variant på Jackson Five; familjebandet lett av pappa Giulio Caccini, också han kompositör och musiker. Tillsammans med syskonen spelade de för de flesta kungar i Europa, bl.a. den polske kungen tillika svenske prinsen Wladyslaw Vasa som hörde uruppförandet av nedan nämnda La Liberazione.

Lyssningstips!
KAMMARMUSIK Någon av de 30-talet sånger och duetter som finns bevarade från hennes publikation Il primo libre delle musiche. Denna bok är för övrigt en liten skatt i sig då Caccini skrivit ut exempel på ornamentik som var vanlig i tiden.
FÖR STÖRRE ENSEMBLER Feministiska (? påstår vissa skribenter) musikskådespelet (operan?) La Liberazione di Ruggiero, som i sin samtid blev uppsatt flera gånger i flera olika länder.