Maria Anna de Raschenau (''fl.'' 18th century) was an Austrian composer and

canoness Canoness is a member of a religious community of women living a simple life. Many communities observe the monastic Rule of St. Augustine. The name corresponds to the male equivalent, a canon. The origin and Rule are common to both. As with the ca ...

(a type of Augustinian

nun A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 599. The term is o ...

). She was active in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

, but was not a member or servant of the

noble court A royal court, often called simply a court when the royal context is clear, is an extended royal household in a monarchy, including all those who regularly attend on a monarch, or another central figure. Hence, the word "court" may also be appl ...

.Cusick She was the choirmaster at the convent of St Jakob auf der Hülben in Vienna.Jackson, pg 126 Raschenau wrote an

oratorio An oratorio () is a large musical composition for orchestra, choir, and soloists. Like most operas, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an instrumental ensemble, various distinguishable characters, and arias. However, opera is mus ...

on a libretto by MA Signorini, ''Le sacre visioni di Santa Teresa'', which was first performed on 20 March 1703. The score was once in the

Österreichische Nationalbibliothek The Austrian National Library (german: Österreichische Nationalbibliothek) is the largest library in Austria, with more than 12 million items in its various collections. The library is located in the Neue Burg Wing of the Hofburg in center of Vi ...

, but was not in the catalogue by 1991, and is assumed to be lost. Her two oratorios and two secular works written for the state are now only known from libretti given out at performances. Raschenau was a contemporary of fellow female oratorio-writers

Caterina Benedicta Grazianini Caterina Benedicta Grazianini (''1685-1715'') was an Italian composer of oratorios in Vienna. She was among the female composers of oratorios in Vienna who, according to Wellesz, were regular canonesses, rather than employed at the court. This gro ...

Maria Grimani Maria Margherita Grimani (1680 – c.1720) was an Italian composer who, at some points in her life, was active in Vienna. Among her compositions was the first opera by a woman to be performed at the Vienna court theater. She may have lived at the ...

, and

Camilla de Rossi Camilla de Rossi ( fl. 1670–1710) was an Italian composer known for composing oratorios in Vienna during the early 1700s. Although several women are known to have composed music in Northern Italy and Austria during this period, there is little ...

, who were also canonesses.

References

* *Pendle, Karin ''Women in Music: A History'' "Musical Women of the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries" by Barbara Garvey Jackson, Indiana University Press, Bloomington IN, 2001.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Raschenau, Maria Anna de 18th-century Austrian people Augustinian nuns Austrian classical composers Austrian women composers Austrian Baroque composers Women classical composers