Description: This is the first of a 2-CD set which illustrates the kind of music sung and played by the women musicians of the courts of Parma and Ferrara in the second half of the sixteenth century. These women were among the first professional women musicians, and they practised their trade at the peril of their reputations. Some of them did not survive their activities - one was murdered by her husband on suspicion of adultery, another was ostracised by the court for appearing too eager to sing. This disc concentrates on the established madrigal repertoire written by Cipriano de Rore and his pupils Giaches de Wert, Luzzasco Luzzaschi and Marc'Antonio Ingegneri.
Description: Released for the first time ever, this concert recording of Jan DeGaetani showcases the legendary mezzo's work in the felid of early music- recorded in 1977, and the peak of her powers. It is a little known fact the DeGaetani's career started as a performer of early music, so that this disc is a revelatory addition to her discography. The spectacular flexibility and purity of intonation that DeGaetani brought to so many contemporary scores serve her beautifully in this well-recorded document. Accompanied by the great lutenist Paul O'Dette, as well as viola da gamba player Judith Davidoff and a shawm player Philip West, this recital ranges from the Medieval music through the Renaissance, and includes music by John Dowland, Donato de Cascia, Hayne van Ghizeghem, Giulio Caccini, and Oswald von Wolkenstein.
Description: Fascinated by voices and instruments during the Renaissance, Denis Raisin Dadre studied the music commissioned by Earl Alfonso II of Ferrara at the end of the 16th century, and especially the music sung privately every evening by his ladies.
