Isabella Leonarda (real name: Isabella Calegari; 1620-1704) was one of the most prolific Italian composers of the 17th century. The daughter of an aristocrat, at age 16 she joined the Collegio di Sant'Orsola, an Ursuline convent where she would remain for the rest of her life.
As abbess, she led her convent’s dynamic musical life. Leonarda published more than 200 works, in the first place vocal sacred music, but she also has the distinction of being the first woman to publish instrumental sonatas: her Op. 16 collection of twelve sonatas was published in Bologna in 1683. It is unusual to find a 17th c. Italian woman like Leonarda writing instrumental music in the new Italian Baroque fashion. Sonata No. 12, played here, is Leonarda's only solo sonata and one of her most renowned compositions. It is divided into seven sections with two slow movements which are recitative-like, inviting improvised embellishments.
Women Composers Index