Antonia Bembo facts for kids

Antonia Padoani Bembo (born around 1640 – died around 1720) was a talented Italian composer and singer. She lived during a time when music was becoming very popular in Europe.

Her Life Story

Antonia was born in Venice, Italy. Her father, Giacomo Padoani, was a doctor. In 1659, she married Lorenzo Bembo, a Venetian nobleman. They had three children together.

Before 1676, Antonia moved to Paris, France. She may have left Venice to escape a difficult marriage. In Paris, she became a singer for King Louis XIV. The King was very impressed by her. He gave her money and a place to live in a religious community.

Antonia lived at the same time as other famous female composers. These included Élisabeth Jacquet de La Guerre and Barbara Strozzi.

Her Music (Oeuvre)

Six books of Antonia Bembo's music still exist today. They are kept in a special library in France, the Bibliothèque nationale de France. These books are called Produzioni armoniche. Most of them were dedicated to King Louis XIV.

These music books also contain some information about Antonia's life. This information has been checked and found to be true. She learned music from Francesco Cavalli by 1654. Cavalli also taught Barbara Strozzi.

Antonia wrote music in all the main styles of her time. This included opera, which is a play set to music. She also wrote secular cantatas, which are pieces for singers and instruments, and sacred cantatas, which are religious. She composed petit and grand motets, which are types of choral music.

Her music was a mix of French and Italian styles. She used the fancy, showy parts of Italian music. She also included French dance forms in her compositions. Much of her work was for a soprano voice. This was often with a continuo accompaniment. This means a bass instrument and a keyboard instrument played along.

Antonia wrote an opera called L'Ercole amante in 1707. The story for this opera was written by Francesco Buti.

List of Her Works

• Produzioni armoniche: This collection has 41 arias and cantatas. They are in Italian, French, and Latin. (Volume I)
• Te Deum for 3 voices: This was dedicated to Marie Adélaïde of Savoy in 1704. (Volume II)
• Serenata for 5 voices (Volume II)
• 2 mottetti (Volume III)
• Te Deum for 5 voices (Volume III)
• Salmo XIX, for 3 voices (Volume III)
• Ercole amante: This is her opera. (Volumes IV-V)
• Les sept pseaumes de David: This means "The Seven Psalms of David." (Volume VI)

Music Recordings

You can listen to some of Antonia Bembo's music today.

• The Seven Psalms of David, Vol. I (2004), by La Donna Musicale
• The Seven Psalms of David, Vol. II (2005), by La Donna Musicale

The words for these psalms were written by Élisabeth Sophie Chéron.

See also

In Spanish: Antonia Bembo para niños