Nuove acquisizioni su Francesca Campana, compositrice e «maestra nell’arte» musicale
Abstract
Combining the reinterpretation of known sources and new archival research, the article delves into the figure and career of Francesca Campana (ca. 1607-1665), a singer, instrumentalist and composer active in Rome in the middle decades of the seventeenth century, known in particular for having published a collection of her own music: Cantate et arie a una, due, e tre voci (Rome, Robletti, 1629). In addition to clarifying certain aspects of her biographical experience, the documents that have emerged make it possible, in particular, to initiate a wide-ranging reconsideration of her role as a music virtuoso. Thanks to an unpublished correspondence, presented and analyzed here, it is possible to outline her activity as a teacher, within a network of intense musical exchanges that transcended the boundaries of the papal city. In 1662, in fact, Francesca was entrusted with teaching Angela Soci, a young musician on behalf of Cardinal Giovan Carlo de' Medici, who would later want to take her into the service of the Florentine court. The Roman virtuoso devoted several months to training the young singer. In this perspective, the case of Francesca Campana appears to be very illuminating, because it allows us to shed light on a wide social and professional network around music virtuosos, and on hitherto hidden aspects of the teacher-pupil relationship, on vocal and instrumental teaching practices and, finally, to observe in parallel particular aspects of the mobility of musicians and the circulation of repertoire.
