Countess Elena Pucić-Sorkočević, also Elena Pozza-Sorgo (c. 1784–1865) was the first female composer in the

Republic of Ragusa The Republic of Ragusa, or the Republic of Dubrovnik, was an maritime republics, aristocratic maritime republic centered on the city of Dubrovnik (''Ragusa'' in Italian and Latin; ''Raguxa'' in Venetian) in South Dalmatia (today in southernmost ...

(

Dubrovnik Dubrovnik, historically known as Ragusa, is a city in southern Dalmatia, Croatia, by the Adriatic Sea. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations in the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean, a Port, seaport and the centre of the Dubrovni ...

), located in today's southern

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

. She was born Elena Lujza Ranjina, and married Nikola Lucijan Pucić-Sorkočević (1772–1855). They had two children: Marina, who married Matej Natali and Lucijan Pucić-Sorkočević. After the fall of the Republic, musical performances were mostly held in private houses of the noble families. Elena was the first female in

whose compositions have been preserved She has a total of 6 completed compositions, one of them in sketches that are kept at the Franciscan monastery in

. Her compositions were not meant for concert works but rather

epistles An epistle (; ) is a writing directed or sent to a person or group of people, usually an elegant and formal didactic letter. The epistle genre of letter-writing was common in ancient Egypt as part of the scribal-school writing curriculum. The ...

written to loved ones as expressions of her spirit.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pucic-Sorkocevic, Elena 1780s births 1865 deaths 19th-century composers People from the Republic of Ragusa Elena Ragusan nobility 19th-century women composers

See also

References