Isabella Leonarda (1620 – 1704)
Isabella Leonarda was born to a prominent family in Novara in northern Italy. At the age of 16 she entered an Ursuline convent where she remained for the rest of her life, composing in her spare time and teaching music to the other nuns.
Leonarda was a prolific composer of very many genres of religious vocal music, but she is also the first known woman to have published purely instrumental music. Her Opus 16 is a collection of twelve sonatas for one, two, or three string instruments with accompaniment by organ, which in performance is often provided by another instrument. These sonatas are divided into short movements and sometimes numerous short sections that are not quite long enough to be regarded as movements.
The 12th of her Opus 16 sonatas is for one violin. In this performance, the British violinist Rachel Podger is accompanied on theorbo by Sicilian guitarist Daniele Caminiti.