Aleotti sisters

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cjshawcj
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Location: Bath, England

Aleotti sisters

Post by cjshawcj »

I have three motets to post by Raphaella Aleotti.

There is already a page in existence for her sister, or it may be her alter ego. The wikipedia biography is unclear as to how many people these alternative names represent: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vittoria_Aleotti

Is the better solution to remain with the old page, or to create a new one? If including both sisters on the one page, I think that Raphaella should be the principal page subject, since her fame in her lifetime and her legacy are slightly less obscure than those of her putative sibling.
carlos
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Re: Aleotti sisters

Post by carlos »

The English Wikipedia article gives enough arguments in favor of the thesis that they were two different people. I'd suggest creating a new page for Raffaella (please note the spelling used by Grove, we should stick to it). It's always easier to eventually merge the two pages than to split a single one if required.

Thanks for your contribution!
Carlos (talk)
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carlos
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Re: Aleotti sisters

Post by carlos »

Oh well, things are not so simple as they seem: the German Wikipedia article counter arguments saying that Raffaella was the name Vittoria took when she entered the monastery at fourteen. They probably based their article on the Grove's entry on Vittoria, that reads:
"(b Ferrara, c1575; d after 1620). Italian composer, possibly identical with Raffaella Aleotti. Daughter of Ferrarese architect Giovanni Battista Aleotti, she first learned music by overhearing lessons intended for an older sister. Astonishing her parents and her sister’s teacher, Alessandro Milleville, by her harpsichord performance at about age six, she was taught directly by Milleville for at least two years before he recommended that she be educated at the musically renowned convent of S Vito, Ferrara. According to her father, Vittoria ‘chose to dedicate herself … to the service of God’ when she was 14. Sometime after that her father obtained madrigals from G.B. Guarini for her to set to music. He gave the results to Count del Zaffo, who had the music printed by Vincenti in Venice, as Ghirlanda de madrigali a quattro voci, in 1593. They represent a range of late 16th-century styles, from simple canzonettas to serious efforts at exploiting dissonance to express images of amorous longing or distress. Occasional awkward handlings of imitation or of text declamation suggest that the madrigals of Ghirlanda were still student works. Nothing more is known about Vittoria Aleotti. Carruthers-Clement, Bridges and Ossi believe that she took the name Raffaella when she professed vows as a nun at S Vito, because there is no record of a Vittoria at S Vito, and because her father’s will mentions a daughter named Raffaella but not one named Vittoria."
Carlos (talk)
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cjshawcj
Posts: 76
Joined: 04 Jan 2011 00:21
Location: Bath, England

Re: Aleotti sisters

Post by cjshawcj »

IM'UO, the lack of evidence for the existence of Vittoria does not necessarily "prove" that she was one and the same as Raffaella. Each is known by a single publication, and these are quite different in character.
Unless further evidence comes to light, my provisional solution is to maintain separate pages, each with a reference to this discussion
carlos
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Location: São Paulo, Brasil

Re: Aleotti sisters

Post by carlos »

That's fine! I agree that that's the best approach for now. The difference in style seems to be striking, indeed.
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