The VidiMus project intends to investigate the case of the “virtuose di musica” (ie. female musicians and singers) in Seventeenth-century Italy, in order to trace training and career paths, professional circuits and networks, skills, musical practices and repertoire. The time frame of the present research ranges from the late Sixteenth century, with the development of the so-called stile recitativo, up to the early Eighteenth century. The research will first of all focus on the most relevant musical centres, such as Rome, Florence and the part of Emilia region (Bologna, Modena and Ferrara), but without disregarding Venice and Naples that were crucial for the circulation of the “virtuose”. VidiMus aspires to collect, list and connect for the first time a diverse and largely unpublished range of different sources, carrying out new research strategies that can help understand the vast and diversified world of the “virtuose di musica”, exploring the historical aspects, as well as the strands related to patronage, social practices and music production of the time. The project comprises four research units based in the universities of L’Aquila, Florence, Bologna and Rome Tor Vergata respectively.
Research partnership
Università di Bologna: Nicola Badolato (Local coordinator), Elisabetta Pasquini
Università dell’Aquila: Arnaldo Morelli (Principal Investigator)
Università di Firenze: Antonella D’Ovidio
Università di Roma “Tor Vergata”: Teresa Maria Gialdroni