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Antonia Bembo (c. 1640-c. 1720)
Suite from L'Ercole Amante
Composed: 1707
Premiered: Unknown

Antonia Bembo was likely born in Venice c. 1640; she studied there with Francesco Cavalli, and in 1659, married Lorenzo Bembo, a Venetian nobleman, with whom she had three children. She filed for divorce in 1672, citing abuse, but lost the case. She escaped the marriage by leaving for Paris, having to leave her children behind. On the eve of her departure, she took her daughter to live in a Venetian convent, presumably for her protection. In Paris, Bembo sang for Louis XIV, who gave her a pension and housing at a religious community, where she remained for the rest of her life.

Her music survives in six volumes of manuscripts, comprised of cantatas, motets, a serenata, and a setting of the Seven Psalms of David, the text for the latter provided by the poet Élisabeth-Sophie Chéron. The volumes also include the score of Bembo’s opera L'Ercole Amante, composed in 1707, with a libretto by Francesco Buti that had been set by her teacher Cavalli 45 years earlier. Her unique blending of Italian and French style develops gradually over the six volumes, which suggests that she has preserved her manuscripts chronologically. Many of the works, including the opera, are dedicated to Louis XIV.

Composer note by Charlotte Nediger.

Antonia Bembo (c. 1640-c. 1720)
Suite from L'Ercole Amante
Composed: 1707
Premiered: Unknown

Antonia Bembo was likely born in Venice c. 1640; she studied there with Francesco Cavalli, and in 1659, married Lorenzo Bembo, a Venetian nobleman, with whom she had three children. She filed for divorce in 1672, citing abuse, but lost the case. She escaped the marriage by leaving for Paris, having to leave her children behind. On the eve of her departure, she took her daughter to live in a Venetian convent, presumably for her protection. In Paris, Bembo sang for Louis XIV, who gave her a pension and housing at a religious community, where she remained for the rest of her life.

Her music survives in six volumes of manuscripts, comprised of cantatas, motets, a serenata, and a setting of the Seven Psalms of David, the text for the latter provided by the poet Élisabeth-Sophie Chéron. The volumes also include the score of Bembo’s opera L'Ercole Amante, composed in 1707, with a libretto by Francesco Buti that had been set by her teacher Cavalli 45 years earlier. Her unique blending of Italian and French style develops gradually over the six volumes, which suggests that she has preserved her manuscripts chronologically. Many of the works, including the opera, are dedicated to Louis XIV.

Composer note by Charlotte Nediger.