Maria Rosa Coccia (4 January 1759 – November 1833) was an Italian

harpsichord A harpsichord ( it, clavicembalo; french: clavecin; german: Cembalo; es, clavecín; pt, cravo; nl, klavecimbel; pl, klawesyn) is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. This activates a row of levers that turn a trigger mechanism ...

ist and composer.

Life

Maria Rosa Coccia was born in Rome and studied with Sante Pesci. At the age of 13, Coccia composed six sonatas for harpsichord and the oratorio ''Daniello'', which was performed the same year in the Oratory S. Filippo Neri, in defiance of a tradition that women were not allowed to attend the event. In 1716

Pope Clement XI Pope Clement XI ( la, Clemens XI; it, Clemente XI; 23 July 1649 – 19 March 1721), born Giovanni Francesco Albani, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 23 November 1700 to his death in March 1721. Clement XI w ...

had decreed that anyone practicing music in Rome must enter the

Accademia di Santa Cecilia The Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia ( en, National Academy of St Cecilia) is one of the oldest musical institutions in the world, founded by the papal bull ''Ratione congruit'', issued by Sixtus V in 1585, which invoked two saints prom ...

and pass the exam to become Maestro di Capella. At 16 Coccia passed the exam and received the title, but because of her gender was never allowed to execute the duties of the position, though her music was performed. As a practicing composer, she was admitted to Rome's Accademia de' Forti. In 1780 Maestro di Cappella Francesco Capalti of Narni Cathedral attacked Coccia's examination composition and her receipt of the title. She was defended by Michele Mallio in his ''Elogio storico della signora Maria Rosa Coccia romana'' (Rome, 1780), containing letters of support from Metastasio, Carlo Broschi and Giovanni Battista Martini.

Pasquale Antonio Basili Pasquale is a masculine Italian given name and a surname mainly found in southern Italy. It is a cognate of the French name Pascal, the Spanish Pascual, the Portuguese Pascoal and the Catalan Pasqual. Pasquale derives from the Latin ''pas ...

in 1784 published an open letter in defense of Coccia and against criticism of Capalti. Maria Rosa Coccia died in Rome.

Works

Selected works include: *''Six Sonatas'' for harpsichord *''Daniello nel lago dei leoni'', oratorio in two parts, Rome, Chiesa Nuova, 1772, lost *''L'isola disabitata'' (P. Metastasio), 1772, lost *''Hic vir despiciens mundum'', fugue, 4 voices, Rome, 1774 (examination piece for Congregazione di S Cecilia, and Accademia Filarmonica, Bologna) *''Magnificat'', Soprano voice, Contralto voice, organ, 1774 *''Dixit Dominus'', 8 voices, organ, 1775 (may be same as Dixit Dominus, 8 voices, violin, viola, oboe, flute, horn) *''Il trionfo d'Enea'', cantata in two parts, Soprano voice, Soprano voice, Contralto voice, Tenor voice, violin, viola, horn, trumpet, oboe, contrabbasso, basso continuo, ?1779 *''Ifigenia'', cantata, 2 sopranos, orchestra, 1779, composed for the Princess Maria Luisa of Bourbon-Parma *''Arsinoe'', cantata, 4 voices, orchestra, 1783 *''Confitebor'', Soprano voice, Soprano voice, organ *''‘Qualche lagrime spargete’ from Semiramide'', lost *''Salve Regina'', 2 voices, organ, n.d. *''Veni Creator Spiritus'', 4 voices, organ *''4 psalms'', lost

References

External links

Project Continua: Biography of Maria Rosa Coccia
Project Continua is a web-based multimedia resource dedicated to the creation and preservation of women's intellectual history from the earliest surviving evidence into the 21st Century. * 1759 births 1833 deaths 18th-century Italian composers Italian women classical composers Italian harpsichordists Women harpsichordists Musicians from Rome 18th-century Italian women composers {{Italy-composer-stub