CHAPTER 21 Voicing Gender: Women Composers in Baroque It-
aly
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. During the seventeenth century, women who desired a public voice through music often joined a
a. camerata. c. convent.
b. composers’ guild. d. local church choir.
6. Which of the following is a type of music composed by Chiara Margarita Cozzolani?
a. the motet c. the Magnificat
b. the four-voice Mass d. All answers shown here.
7. The dramatic and mystical qualities of Cozzolani’s setting of the Magnificat are similar to those of what other significant artwork?
a. Bernini’s Ecstasy of St. Teresa c. Michelangelo’s David
b. Leonardo’s Last Supper d. Raphael’s Alba Madonna
8. Of the following, which characterizes Cozzolani’s music for the Magnificat?
a. imitative polyphony throughout c. expressive and rich in word-painting
b. an A-B-A structure d. all of the above
9. What are the performing forces for Cozzolani’s Magnificat?
a. an a cappella choir
b. two choirs and violins
c. two choirs, two soprano soloists, and organ and strings
d. vocal choir and instrumental ensemble
10. The prayer of praise at the end of the Magnificat is called the
a. doxology. c. Gloria.
b. Agnus Dei. d. Alleluia.
11. In 1670 Augustinian priest Filippo Picinelli lavished high praise on which convent?
a. St. Radegonde in Milan c. St. Peters in Rome
b. St. Marks in Venice d. Westminster Abby in London
12. The Magnificat text is from the
a. Gospel of Luke. c. Old Testament.
b. Gospel of John. d. Book of Psalms.
13. Where was Chiara Margarita Cozzolani born?
a. Italy c. Germany
b. France d. Malta
14. Who published more arias than any other male singer-composer of her time?
a. Barbara Strozzi c. Hildegard of Bingen
b. Chiara Margarita Cozzolani d. Isabella Garzoni
15. Strozzi performed in small and intimate settings in Venice known as
a. academies. c. salons.
b. camerata. d. house concerts.
16. Barbara Strozzi performed in the academies in
a. Venice. c. Florence.
b. Rome. d. Milan.
17. The Magnificat is also known as the
a. canticle of Mary. c. Gradual.
b. Requiem. d. antiphon.
18. Chiara Margarita Cozzolani was a nun at the convent of
a. St. Radegonde. c. Notre Dame.
b. St. John the Divine. d. St. Mark’s.
19. Chiara Margarita Cozzolani served as abbess and prioress of St. Radegunda in
a. Milan. c. Florence.
b. Venice. d. Rome.
20. Barbara Strozzi published more ________ than any other male singer-composer of her time.
a. arias c. concertos
b. operas d. sonatas
21. Which female artist’s compositions foreshadowed the A-B-A structure that became standard in opera?
a. Barbara Strozzi c. Hildegard of Bingen
b. Chiara Margarita Cozzolani d. St. Radegonde
22. Who wrote Amor dormiglione (Sleepyhead, Cupid!)?
a. Barbara Strozzi c. Hildegard of Bingen
b. Chiara Margarita Cozzolani d. St. Radegonde
23. When was Amor dormiglione (Sleepyhead, Cupid!) published?
a. 1550 c. 1600
b. 1651 d. 1625
24. Which institution employed Barbara Strozzi?
a. She did not hold any official musical post.
b. St. Mark’s in Venice
c. St. Peter’s in Rome
d. St. Radegonde
25. Barbara Strozzi’s secular arias focus on the theme of
a. love. c. spiritual awakening.
b. death. d. All of the answers shown here.
TRUE/FALSE
1. The Baroque era offered many possibilities for creative women.
2. Women who made a name for themselves as professional musicians were often viewed as having
low morals.
3. The convent of St. Radegonde in Milan was famous for its music-making.
4. The Catholic Church supported the performances of nuns outside the convent and their use of polyphony.
5. In convents, men frequently joined the nuns’ choir in order to perform the bass parts.
6. Chiara Margarita Cozzolani entered a convent and professed her final vows at age eighteen.
7. In Cozzolani’s Magnificat, the choirs often sing in homophony.
8. Cozzolani wrote the text of her Magnificat.
9. Convents played a major societal role for women and allowed those who desired one a public voice through music.
10. The canticle of Mary is also known as the Magnificat.
11. Men and even priests frequently sang polyphony with the nuns in their services.
12. Barbara Strozzi won widespread praise for her sacred compositions and religious dialogues set to music.
13. It is likely that Strozzi published her music because it was her only way to “appear in public.”
14. Strozzi’s secular arias particularly focus on the suffering of unfulfilled love.
15. Strozzi’s Amor dormiglione does not include word-painting.
ESSAY
1. How can music become a voice for groups excluded from equal opportunity? Give some examples.
2. Describe the life of women in a seventeenth-century convent.
3. Describe the expressive qualities of Cozzolani’s Magnificat. Give some examples.
4. Explain how both Cozzolani and Strozzi engaged with musical traditions that had been defined and shaped by men.
5. Why is Barbara Strozzi considered one of the more intriguing figures of her time?