Francesca Caccini: Lasciatemi Qui Solo (Leave me here alone)

#baroque #baroquecomposer #sopranos

Francesca Caccini was born in Florence in September 1587. Her parents were both musical, so she grew up in the artistic community of the Medici court – one of the most cultured in all of Europe. At a very young age Caccini, taught by her father, began learning to play the guitar, lute and she also learnt how to sing. She grew up receiving a humanistic education meaning she learned Latin, literature, mathematics and modern languages.

Due to her language training, Caccini sung as a part of a family ensemble called ‘Concerto Caccini’ and they sang before the Grand Duke Ferdinando I de Medici. She began catching the attention of others for her musical talents and she began singing as part of a soprano trio comprised of Francesca, her sister and the famous Italian singer, Vittoria Archilei. Through singing in both chamber ensembles and operas, Caccini became famous and was recognised around Italy for her virtuosi and technique.

Between the years 1604-05, the Caccini family travelled to France, at the request of Maria d’Medici. The King was impressed by the family ensemble, but especially took a shine to Francesca.

In 1607, Caccini married singer Giovannibattista Signorini in Florence. During the next few years she began composing music for events for the courts around Italy. It has been shown that Caccini was the first woman to write and publish an opera – which is a massive achievement in such a competitive business.

In 1618, Caccini had her first volume of works published – Il primo libro delle musiche. A lot of works in Caccini’s Il primo libro reflect the characteristics of her father’s music. One of the main things that Caccini took from her father’s music was the use of vocal ornaments to embellish the melody.

Although on the manuscripts there are no clear direction for these ornaments, Caccini uses words such as ‘trillo’ and ‘passaggi’ to infer a vocal trill of some sort. If we look back at Giulio’s music, he uses a technique called ‘gorgheoggiao’, which consists of stopping the vocal sound by the quick opening and closing of the vocal folds whilst air is passing through. The technique is tricky to master as it requires a lot of breath and vocal control to create the desired effect.

The effect is often called referred to as ‘trembling of the voice’, which lies on a single note, and often ends as a cadential ornament. There are some notable differences in their compositions, however, for example most of Caccini’s father’s music were more song-like, whereas Francesca’s collection reflects an early attempt at recitative style.

Il primo libro is a big indicator to how the Florentine musical style was shaped over this period. The book is divided into two very large sections. The first section, ‘spirituali’ is characterised by sacred texts, thus includes sonnets, madrigals, arias, motets and hymns. The second section, ‘temporali’ consists of secular texts and lighter melodies. Lasciatemi Qui Solo (Leave me here alone) is number 12 in the book, and is an aria.

Painting:
The Death of Demosthenes,1805, by Georges Rouget.