Search for a Composer

Francesca Caccini

Francesca Caccini (18 September 1587 – after 1641) was an Italian composer, singer, lutenist, poet, and music teacher of the early Baroque era. She was also known by the nickname "La Cecchina", originally given to her by the Florentines and probably a diminutive of "Francesca". She was the daughter of Giulio Caccini. Her only surviving stage work, La liberazione di Ruggiero, is widely considered the oldest opera by a woman composer.

Francesca Caccini wrote some or all of the music for at least sixteen staged works. All but La liberazione di Ruggiero and some excerpts from La Tancia and Il passatempo published in the 1618 collection are believed lost. Her surviving scores reveal Caccini to have taken extraordinary care over the notation of her music, focusing special attention on the rhythmic placement of syllables and words, especially within ornaments, on phrasing as indicated by slurs, and on the precise notation of often very long, melodically fluid vocal melismas.

* This text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License
* Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.
* Original page

Recent Caccini releases

Luzzaschi - Il concerto segreto
Luzzaschi - Il concerto segreto

£14.49

(Ricercar)

La Femme: Journey of Female Composers
La Femme: Journey of Female Composers

£12.30

(Naxos)

Terrain vague: Songs of Dowland, Brel, Barbara & more
Terrain vague: Songs of Dowland, Brel, Barbara & more

£13.25

(Etcetera)

Jaroussky & Garcia: A sa guitare
Jaroussky & Garcia: A sa guitare

£15.15

(Erato)