Women and Music in Sixteenth-Century Ferrara

The musica secreta or concerto delle dame of Duke Alfonso II d''Este, an ensemble of virtuoso female musicians that performed behind closed doors at the castello in Ferrara, is well-known to music history. Their story is often told by focussing on the Duke''s obsessive patronage and the exclusivity of their music. This book examines the music-making of four generations of princesses, noblewomen an...