Settimia Caccini: composer and singing virtuosa

Life

Her entire creative arc, from training to full maturity, consistently and exclusively took place within the Italian Baroque period.

Settimia Caccini, the younger daughter of the famous composer Giulio Caccini and the singer Lucia Gagnolanti, demonstrated exceptional talent from a very young age. According to the chronicler Severo Bonini, she earned immortal fame for her mastery of the art of singing. With her father and older sister Francesca, also a successful musician, she was part of the famous vocal group known as "Giulio's concerto of women."

She began performing on stage at just nine years old, singing in her father's opera, Il rapimento di Cefalo, for the wedding of Marie de' Medici and Henry IV of France in 1600. Two years later, she continued to demonstrate her talent by singing in the opera L'Euridice, also composed by her father.

Her career took her beyond the borders of Florence. In 1604, together with her family, she was invited to perform at the French court, where she remained for six months to great success. Her skill also led her to Mantua, where she sang the role of Venus in Claudio Monteverdi's L'Arianna in 1608. Her reputation grew further in Parma, where she interpreted Dido in an intermezzo and Aurora in Mercurio e Marte, with music once again by Monteverdi. After the death of her husband, Alessandro Ghivizzani, she returned to Florence, where she resumed service at the Medici court. Her last known appearance dates to 1637, where she sang in Le nozze degli dei by Giovanni Carlo Coppola.

Works

Although she did not publish collections of her compositions, as her sister Francesca did, Settimia Caccini left a lasting mark on music history. Unfortunately, her compositional work has come down to us in a very fragmentary form, with only eight vocal pieces surviving. These arias, characterized by a strophic form and a fluid melodic style, reflect a talent that was perhaps intended for more private than public performance. It is very likely that most of her compositions, never having been sent to press, have been lost.