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A Portrait of Isabella Leonarda / Smith, Cappella Artemisia
Brilliant Classics

A Portrait of Isabella Leonarda / Smith, Cappella Artemisia

$13.99

Details

Composer
Suor Isabella Leonarda
Artist
Cappella Artemisia
Format
CD
Label
Brilliant Classics
Released
Aug 26, 2022
Catalog #
BRI96626
UPC
5028421966267

About

Suor Isabella Leonarda (1620-1704) was the most prolific woman composer of the 17th century. She published no fewer than 20 collections of motets and other sacred music, nearly 200 compositions spanning virtually every genre of sacred music of her time, as well as the only complete collection of instrumental works by an Italian woman in the 1600s. This recording is a tribute to her artistry.

Born and baptized as Anna Isabella Leonardi on 6 Sept. 1620, she belonged to one of the most illustrious families of Novara. She studied at home before entering the Congregazione delle Vergini di S. Orsola at age 16. She took her vows three years later and remained in this convent until her death on February 25, 1704, at the age of 84. During her long life, Isabella served in all capacities: mater discreta et cancellaria, magistra musicae, superiora, and finally consigliera. She was clearly a woman of robust constitution and an iron will. This recording provides a portrait of Isabella Leonarda’s vast and varied output, ranging from solo motets to a large-scale Psalm setting for voices, obbligato violins and basso continuo. Numerous works exemplify her “concertato” writing in their alternation of meter, tempo and texture between florid soloistic passages and more homophonic choral treatment. The absence of male voices is solved by the transposition of lower voices or the use of instruments.

Cappella Artemisia, founded by Candace Smith in 1991, is an ensemble of women dedicated to performing the music of Italian convents of the 16th and 17th centuries. The repertoire includes both forgotten works composed by the nuns themselves, and music intended for performance in the convents by male composers, but presented as it would originally have been heard, i.e., without male voices.

Tracklist 10 tracks

  1. 1 Gloriosa mater domini à 4 (after Sacri concenti, Op. 3) 07:34
    Track
    1
    Title
    Gloriosa mater domini à 4 (after Sacri concenti, Op. 3)
    Duration
    07:34
    Composer
    Isabella Leonarda
    Ensemble
    Cappella Artemisia
    Conductor
    Candace Smith
  2. 2 Memento rerum à 4 a cappella (after Sacri concenti, Op. 3) 02:46
    Track
    2
    Title
    Memento rerum à 4 a cappella (after Sacri concenti, Op. 3)
    Duration
    02:46
    Composer
    Isabella Leonarda
    Ensemble
    Cappella Artemisia
    Conductor
    Candace Smith
  3. 3 Salve regina (after Motetti, Op. 20) 09:08
    Track
    3
    Title
    Salve regina (after Motetti, Op. 20)
    Duration
    09:08
    Composer
    Isabella Leonarda
    Ensemble
    Cappella Artemisia
    Conductor
    Candace Smith
  4. 4 In caelis gloria à 4 (after Motetti, Op. 13) 09:57
    Track
    4
    Title
    In caelis gloria à 4 (after Motetti, Op. 13)
    Duration
    09:57
    Composer
    Isabella Leonarda
    Ensemble
    Cappella Artemisia
    Conductor
    Candace Smith
  5. 5 Sonata No. 9 (after 12 Sonatas, Op. 16: Sonata nona) 04:15
    Track
    5
    Title
    Sonata No. 9 (after 12 Sonatas, Op. 16: Sonata nona)
    Duration
    04:15
    Composer
    Isabella Leonarda
    Ensemble
    Cappella Artemisia
    Conductor
    Candace Smith
  6. 6 O flammæ (after Motteti, Op. 6) 09:50
    Track
    6
    Title
    O flammæ (after Motteti, Op. 6)
    Duration
    09:50
    Composer
    Isabella Leonarda
    Ensemble
    Cappella Artemisia
    Conductor
    Candace Smith
  7. 7 O dulce sonare (after Mottetti con le litanie della Beata Vergine, Op. 7) 07:32
    Track
    7
    Title
    O dulce sonare (after Mottetti con le litanie della Beata Vergine, Op. 7)
    Duration
    07:32
    Composer
    Isabella Leonarda
    Ensemble
    Cappella Artemisia
    Conductor
    Candace Smith
  8. 8 O anima mea (arr D. Speer for vocal ensemble) 06:47
    Track
    8
    Title
    O anima mea (arr D. Speer for vocal ensemble)
    Duration
    06:47
    Composer
    Isabella Leonarda
    Ensemble
    Cappella Artemisia
    Conductor
    Candace Smith
  9. 9 Quo pergis anima à 4 (after Sacri concenti, Op. 3) 07:43
    Track
    9
    Title
    Quo pergis anima à 4 (after Sacri concenti, Op. 3)
    Duration
    07:43
    Composer
    Isabella Leonarda
    Ensemble
    Cappella Artemisia
    Conductor
    Candace Smith
  10. 10 Dixit dominus (after Salmi concertati, Op. 19) 08:35
    Track
    10
    Title
    Dixit dominus (after Salmi concertati, Op. 19)
    Duration
    08:35
    Composer
    Isabella Leonarda
    Ensemble
    Cappella Artemisia
    Conductor
    Candace Smith