Leonora Baroni

Leonora Baroni (December 1611 – 6 April 1670) was an Italian singer, theorbist, lutenist, viol player, and composer of the Baroque period. Biography Life and career Leonora Baroni was the daughter of Adriana Basile, a virtuosa singer, and Mutio Baroni. She was born at the Gonzaga court in Mantua. From 1624 to 1633. Baroni sang alongside her mother and sister Caterina at court and across Italy, including cities such as Naples, Genoa, and Florence. She was admired not only for her skill as a musician, in which she almost overshadowed her mother, but also for her learning and refined manners. She was even known to speak many different languages. Baroni was a gifted singer as well as a gifted instrumentalist on both the theorbo and viol. Baroni’s mother performed on the lira, while her sister played the harp. Baroni was honored by poets such as Fulvio Testi and Francesco Bracciolini, who addressed poems to her, as did some nobles, such as Annibale Bentivoglio and then-cardinal Pope Clement IX. These poems were collected and published as Applausi poetici alle glorie della Signora Leonora Baroni in 1639 and reprinted in 1641. John Milton later wrote a series of epigrams to her, entitled