Concert: Music for Consorts

Monday 13 April 2015
Exeter College Chapel

Music for Consorts

17th April 2015 at 5.30pm
Exeter College, Turl Street, Oxford OX1 3DP
Free admission | www.marryingcultures.eu

On Friday 17th April 2015 David Allen will be accompanying soprano Maria Skiba, member of the historic music ensemble Bella Discordia, in a concert of music written for royal consorts from the mid-17th century in the beautiful chapel of Exeter College, Oxford.

Francesca Caccini (1578-ca. 1640) - 'Laudate Dominum', 'Maria, dolce Maria' (Il primo libro delle musiche, Florence 1618)
Barbara Strozzi (1619-1677) - 'O Maria' (Sacri musicali aspetti, Venice 1655)

Francesca Caccini was a musical servant of the court of Grand Duchess Christine of Lorraine in Florence where she was responsibel for singing, teaching music to the ladies in waiting, composing music and directing music for the female court. She grew to be the best paid musician at the Medici court in Florence and wrote several operas (favolas) for the court festivities. Her only surviving opera La liberazione di Ruggiero dall'isola d'Alcina was performed in 1625 in honour of hte Polish prince Władysław's visit to Florence.

Barbara Strozzi was an 'independent' woman - quite remarkable for her time - and the piece in the programme comes from her only surviving collection of sacred motets that is dedicated to Anna de Medici (Duchess Anna Austriaca d'Inspruch), who in return rewarded her with great gifts. It is still not entirely clear whether Anna de Medici actually ordered this collection of music or whether she financed its publication.

This concert is being performed as part of the 'Queens Consort and their Cultural Opportunities and Achievements' conference being held by the Marrying Cultures collaborative international research project funded by HERA (Humanities in the European Research Area) with teams based at the University of Oxford, Lund University, the German Historical Institute in Warsaw and the Herzog August Bibliothek, Wolfenbüttel.

If you have any questions then please do feel free to contact David Allen for more details. The map below may be used to locate the college: