Lady Tarquinia May 31, Somerville

Italian virtuosa singer and viol player Tarquinia Molza (1542-1617) was one of few women of her time to be gainfully employed as a musician. As if that weren’t impressive enough, her employment at the Este Court of Ferrara was prestigious and influential. However, her career was taken away from her over allegations of a romantic relationship with a colleague, which she denied. Despite her banishment, Molza was named a Citizen of Rome in 1600 for her musical and intellectual talents, the first woman in history to receive this honor.

Gleaning what we can from the historical sources that still survive, it appears that Molza’s fascinating life more or less stopped being documented as soon as her career was taken from her. However, the little that we do know makes clear that she remained musically active in her hometown of Modena, where she regularly hosted musical gatherings. Today, Molza is a relatively unknown figure in music history.

In Lady Tarquinia, Lyracle celebrates the musicianship that polymath Tarquinia Molza cultivated her whole life, even after she was confined to making music at home. The program will include pieces that we know Tarquinia sang and played and musical settings of her poetry.

Performers:
Ashley Mulcahy, mezzo-soprano
James Perretta, viola da gamba
Margaret Carpenter Haigh, soprano
Craig Juricka, baritone