Employed by the Grand Duchess
Francesca Caccini receives her first appointment at the Medici Court
Francesca Caccini receives her first appointment at the Medici Court, presented by Donald Macleod.
Francesca Caccini has been hailed as the first female composer to write an opera. However this isn鈥檛 necessarily true. The work in question, La Liberazione di Ruggiero dall鈥檌sola d鈥橝lcina, was written for the theatre and is almost entirely sung, but academics now believe that this is not an opera. What we do know is that Francesca Caccini was the daughter, sister, wife and mother of a family of singers, and was one of the most prolific composers of her time. She was employed at the Medici court in Florence in the early seventeenth century, and rose to become the highest paid musician on the Medici payroll. This week Donald Macleod explores the life and music of Francesca Caccini and her circle, such as her father Giulio Caccini, and other composers including Jacopo Peri, Lorenzo Allegri, and Marco da Gagliano.
Francesca Caccini and her family were well received at the French court and King Henry IV declared that Francesca was the best singer in all of France. An offer was made to Giulio Caccini for Francesca and her sister to remain in France, but their father was keen that the entire family should return to Florence. Once back in Italy Giulio wasted no time in promoting the family鈥檚 success in France, in order to secure Francesca鈥檚 future. By 1607 she received her first official appointment as a musician to the Medici court which was then largely controlled by the Grand Duchess, Christine de Lorraine. Upon Francesca鈥檚 appointment, the Grand Duchess arranged a marriage for her new employee to a singer called Giovanni Battista Signorini. Caccini鈥檚 contract to the Medici gave her many responsibilities, including performing as a singer and as an instrumentalist both at court and for church services, composing new music and preparing it for performances, as well as teaching music to some of the Medici children.
Lasciatemi qui solo
Flavio Ferri-Benedetti, countertenor
Il Profondo
Ciaccona, arr. Luigi Cozzolino
Cappella di Santa Maria degli Angiolini
Gian Luca Lastraiolo, theorbo and conductor
Romanesca, arr. Luigi Cozzolino
Cappella di Santa Maria degli Angiolini
Gian Luca Lastraiolo, theorbo and conductor
Io mi distruggo and ardo
Olga Pitarch, soprano
Marco Horvat, tenor & theorbo
Su le piume de鈥檝enti trionfator
Shannon Mercer, soprano
Amanda Keesmaat, cello
Luc Beaus茅jour, organ
Lorenzo Allegri
La notte d鈥橝more
Gran Consort Li Stromenti
Gian Luca Lastraioli, conductor
Francesca Caccini
La pastorella
Shannon Mercer, soprano
Sylvain Bergeron, guitar
Amanda Keesmaat, cello
Luc Beaus茅jour, harpsichord
Lorenzo Allegri
Le ninfe di Senna
Gran Consort Li Stromenti
Gian Luca Lastraioli, conductor
Francesca Caccini
Non s貌 se quel sorriso
Shannon Mercer, soprano
Sylvain Bergeron, guitar
Amanda Keesmaat, cello
Luc Beaus茅jour, harpsichord
Producer Luke Whitlock
Last on
Music Played
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Cappella di Santa Maria degli Angiolini
Ciaconna
- Brilliant 94461.
- Brilliant.
- 5.
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Francesca Caccini
Lasciatemi Qui
Singer: Flavio Ferri-Benedetti. Ensemble: Il Profondo.- Resonando RN10001.
- Resonando.
- 8.
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Francesca Caccini
Lasciatemi qui solo
Singer: Flavio Ferri-Benedetti. Ensemble: Il Profondo.- Resonando RN10001.
- Resonando.
- 8.
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Cappella di Santa Maria degli Angiolini & Gian Luca Lastraiolo
Ciaconna
- Brilliant 94461.
- Brilliant.
- 5.
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Cappella di Santa Maria degli Angiolini & Gian Luca Lastraiolo
Romanesca
- Brilliant 94461.
- Brilliant.
- 9.
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Francesca Caccini
Io Mi Distruggo
Performer: Eric Bellocq. Singer: Olga Pitarch. Singer: Marco Horvat.- ALPHA : 054-none.
- ALPHA.
- 18.
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Francesca Caccini
Io mi distruggo
Performer: Eric Bellocq. Singer: Olga Pitarch. Singer: Marco Horvat.- ALPHA : 054-none.
- ALPHA.
- 18.
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Francesca Caccini
Su le piume de' venti trionfator
Singer: Shannon Mercer. Performer: Amanda Keesmaat. Performer: Luc Beaus茅jour.- Analekta: AN 2 9966.
- Analekta.
- 17.
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Francesca Caccini
Su le piume de' venti trionfator (aria)
Singer: Shannon Mercer. Performer: Amanda Keesmaat. Performer: Luc Beaus茅jour.- Analekta: AN 2 9966.
- Analekta.
- 17.
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Lorenzo Allegri
La Notte D'Amore
Ensemble: Gran Consort Li Stromenti. Conductor: Gian Luca Lastraioli.- Dynamic DM8007.
- Dynamic.
- 9.
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Lorenzo Allegri
La notte d'amore - ballo
Ensemble: Gran Consort Li Stromenti. Conductor: Gian Luca Lastraioli.- Dynamic DM8007.
- Dynamic.
- 9.
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Francesca Caccini
La Pastorella Mia
Performer: Sylvain Bergeron. Performer: Amanda Keesmaat. Performer: Luc Beaus茅jour. Singer: Shannon Mercer.- ANALEKTA AN29966.
- ANALEKTA.
- 15.
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Francesca Caccini
La pastorella mia
Performer: Sylvain Bergeron. Performer: Amanda Keesmaat. Performer: Luc Beaus茅jour. Singer: Shannon Mercer.- ANALEKTA AN29966.
- ANALEKTA.
- 15.
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Benjamin Britten
Ceremony of Carols
Performer: Tanya Houghton. Ensemble: The 大象传媒 Singers with Finchley Children's Music Group. -
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Lorenzo Allegri
Quinto Le Ninfe Della Senna
Ensemble: Gran Consort Li Stromenti. Conductor: Gian Luca Lastraioli.- Dynamic DM8007.
- Dynamic.
- 5.
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Lorenzo Allegri
Quinto Le ninfe della Senna
Ensemble: Gran Consort Li Stromenti. Conductor: Gian Luca Lastraioli.- Dynamic DM8007.
- Dynamic.
- 5.
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Francesca Caccini
Non s貌 se quel sorriso
Singer: Shannon Mercer. Performer: Sylvain Bergeron. Performer: Amanda Keesmaat. Performer: Luc Beaus茅jour.- ANALEKTA AN29966.
- ANALEKTA.
- 2.
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Francesca Caccini
Non s貌 se quel sorriso
Singer: Shannon Mercer. Performer: Sylvain Bergeron. Performer: Amanda Keesmaat. Performer: Luc Beaus茅jour.- ANALEKTA AN29966.
- ANALEKTA.
- 2.
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