A to Z: Q is for Lucia Quinciani

Today is day 17 of the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge in which I attempt to blog every day (excepting Sundays) throughout the month of April. For this challenge, I am curating a collection of “classical” music pieces, which are lesser known or by lesser known composers (to me at least). Today’s composer is Lucia Quinciani (c. 1566-1611). Not much is known about this Italian composer who was the first published female composer of monody, a form of Italian music in which a solo voice follows a distinct melodic line with an accompaniment. There is only one piece of music extant by her and that is called Udite lagrimosi spirti d’Averno. The only recording I could find is in this youtube piece and it starts about 1 minute and 45 seconds in.

“Udite lagrimosi spirti d’Averno, udite by Lucia Quinciani

The composer’s Wikipedia page Lucia Quinciani