Maddalena casulana biography sample
Maddalena casulana family.
Our Namesake
Maddalena Casulana (c. 1544 – c.
Maddalena casulana
1590) was an Italian composer, lutenist and singer of the late Renaissance. She is the first female composer to have a whole book of her music printed and published in the history of western music.
Extremely little is known about her life, other than what can be inferred from the dedications and writings on her collections of madrigals.
Most likely she was born at Casole d'Elsa, near Siena, from the evidence of her name.
Maddalena casulana biography sample
She received her musical education and early experiences in Florence.
Her first work dates from 1566: four madrigals in a collection, Il Desiderio, which she produced in Florence. Two years later she published in Venice her first actual book of madrigals for four voices, Il primo libro di madrigali, which is the first printed, published work by a woman in western music history.
Also that year Orlando di Lasso conducted Nil mage iucundum at the court of Albert V, Duke of Bavaria in Munich; however the music has not su