Maddalena Lombardini Sirmen

Maddalena Lombardini Sirmen (1745-1818) , an internationally known violinist and composer during the seventeenth century, has often been overshadowed by her contemporaries. Until recently, she was recognized mainly as a violin pupil of Giuseppe Tartini. Elsie Arnold and Jane Baldauf-Berdes invite readers to rediscover Sirmen's life and music, including her childhood years in a Venice orphanage famous for its music (essentially one of the first music schools for women) , her marriage and travels, and her professional life as an astute businesswoman who efficiently managed her own life, concert engagements, and finances.. Not just a biography, this work analyzes Sirmen's violin concertos and provides a comprehensive list of her compositions. It is a necessary addition for music and women's studies collections alike.