“Women Composers of the Baroque: Strozzi, Jacquet de la Guerre, Bon,” concert performance

Too frequently it may be forgotten that, in the history of Western music, high achievement in musical composition is not confined to one gender.  As a reminder, this concert presents early baroque era secular song by Barbara Strozzi; music of the French “high baroque” by Elizabeth-Claude Jacquet de la Guerre; and the late baroque chamber music of Anna Bon di Venezia.  Strozzi (1619 – 1677), a renowned Venetian composer and singer, prolifically published music in her own name (highly unusually for a woman at the time), and was admired for her great sensitivity in integrating words with music.  The Parisian Jacquet de la Guerre (1665 – 1729) served as a composer and acclaimed solo harpsichordist in the court of Louis XIV, and produced fine keyboard, vocal, and chamber music.  And Bon (c. 1738 – ?), after being educated at Vivaldi’s school in Venice, became a court composer employed at Bayreuth by Princess Wilhelmine of Prussia.