![Carl Ferdinand Sohn - Torquato Tasso and the Two Leonores - Google Art Project](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/70/Carl_Ferdinand_Sohn_-_Torquato_Tasso_and_the_Two_Leonores_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg)
Leonora Sanvitale (Contessa di Scandiano) (c. 1558–1582) was a noblewoman and singer at the
Este court at
Ferrara, and along with her stepmother
Barbara Sanseverino, was among the most "brilliant" noblewomen at the court. She joined the court in 1576 when she married
Giulio Tiene, Count of
Scandiano
Scandiano ( Reggiano: ) is a town and ''comune'' in Emilia-Romagna, in the northeast part of the country of Italy, near the city of Reggio nell'Emilia and the Secchia river. It had a population of 25,663 as of 31 December 2016.
History
The c ...
. Before this she had been at the court in
Parma
Parma (; egl, Pärma, ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, music, art, prosciutto (ham), cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,292 inhabitants, Parma is the second mos ...
. Previously she had attracted the attention of both
Torquato Tasso
Torquato Tasso ( , also , ; 11 March 154425 April 1595) was an Italian poet of the 16th century, known for his 1591 poem ''Gerusalemme liberata'' ( Jerusalem Delivered), in which he depicts a highly imaginative version of the combats between ...
and the Duke of Rome in 1573. She was a member of the first incarnation of the ''
concerto delle donne
The ''concerto delle donne'' (; also ''concerto di donne'' or ''concerto delle (or di) dame'') was a group of professional female singers in the late Italian Renaissance, primarily in the court of Ferrara, Italy. Renowned for their technical and ...
'' and sang in the court's ''
musica secreta In music history, ''musica reservata'' (also ''musica secreta'') is either a style or a performance practice in ''a cappella'' vocal music of the latter half of the 16th century, mainly in Italy and southern Germany, involving refinement, exclusivit ...
''.
References
*
Newcomb, Anthony. ''The Madrigal at Ferrara, 1579-1597''. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ. (1980)
*
1550s births
1582 deaths
Nobility from Ferrara
16th-century Italian singers
16th-century Italian women singers
Musicians from Ferrara
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