Tarquinia Molza

Tarquinia Molza
Tarquinia Molza (1 November 1542 – 8 August 1617) was an Italian singer, poet, conductor, composer, and natural philosopher. She was considered a great '' virtuosa''. She was involved with the famous ''Concerto delle donne'', although whether she sang with them or coached them is not clear. She also played the viola bastarda, viola da mano, clavier, and lute. Trained in both distinctly male and female singing styles, her contributions helped combine them into the madrigal of the late Renaissance.

Early life and education

Molza was born in Modena, the granddaughter of the poet Francesco Maria Molza, and the daughter of Camillus and Isabella Colombi She was the eldest off nine brothers and sisters. Her father agreed that she should have the same education as her brothers, and she learned Greek, Latin, Hebrew, and philosophy until she was sixteen. She studied with the scientist John Politiano and the poet Francis Patrizio, and learned astronomy from the mathematician Antony Guarini. She married Paolo Porrino in 1560, who supported her returning to school, where she studied with Francesco Patrizi. She was widowed by 1579.

Musical career

Because she was widowed, she was recruited to become the lady-in-waiting to Duchess Margherita Gonzaga d'Este in 1583 and moved to Ferrara, where she became a famous performer, conductor, and composer. Molza was dismissed from her position in 1589 and returned to Mantua when she was accused of having an affair with Flemish composer Giaches de Wert. Minor nobility (as ladies-in-waiting to the duchess were considered) were not to involve themselves with members of the servant class (as minor composers such as Wert were considered). She claimed that her relationship with Wert was a friendship, and not sexual.

Works

Molza wrote poetry in Latin and Tuscan dialect; she also wrote essays.

Literary and Artistic Representations

Many artistic works were dedicated to her; Francesco Patrizi wrote about her singing in his treatise ''L'amorosa filosofia'', and she was perhaps the first singer to have a published biography dedicated to her (''Opuscoli inediti di Tarquinia Molza modenese'' by D. Vandelli).

Her name appears among those on the Heritage Floor of Judy Chicago's ''The Dinner Party.''

Honors

Molza was granted Roman citizenship in 1600, the only woman to have citizenship. The decree stated, "although the Senate has never accepted women in to the ranks of citizenship… t is resolved thatTarquinia Molza of Modena be numbered in the ranks of its most noble citizens with the title ''l'Unica'', never before bestowed on anyone, in recognition of her singular virtues and merits."

Notes

References

*Stevenson, Jane. ''Women Latin Poets'' (Oxford, 2005), 288-91.

External links

Project Continua: Biography of Tarquinia Molza

{{DEFAULTSORT:Molza, Tarquinia
1542 births
1617 deaths
16th-century women scientists
16th-century Italian scientists
17th-century women scientists
17th-century Italian scientists
Italian women singers
Musicians from Modena
Scientists from Modena
New Latin-language poets
Italian ladies-in-waiting
Natural philosophers
Italian women scientists
16th-century Italian women
17th-century Italian women
Renaissance people