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25 - Professional women singers in the fifteenth century: a tale of two Annas

from Part V - Music in churches, courts, and cities

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 July 2015

By
Bonnie J. Blackburn
Edited by
Anna Maria Busse Berger  and
Jesse Rodin
Anna Maria Busse Berger
Affiliation:
University of California, Davis
Jesse Rodin
Affiliation:
Stanford University, California
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Summary

This chapter describes two professional women musicians of the fifteenth century, one English but working in Italy, and the other German. The two Annas discussed in the chapter open an unexpected window on the existence of professional women performers who were not only extremely talented but also confident entrepreneurs. The German Anna was in the service of the emperor. The English Anna was more independent: she had many patrons, and evidently moved around Italy as she pleased, accompanied by her professional ensemble. Music filled the streets, homes, churches, and courts of the fifteenth century, but except for those serving the churches and courts the musicians themselves are largely anonymous. All information about Anna comes from Italian sources, and it is in Italy where she made her career. Anna, in fact, was not alone. She had her own ensemble, which included a tenorista, and she had been in Milan for some time.

Keywords

liturgical humanismItalian peninsulaBreviaryMatins textssaint's charity
Type
Chapter
Information
The Cambridge History of Fifteenth-Century Music , pp. 476 - 485
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2015

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