Maddalena Casulana : Music Advocating for Women in Early Modern Italy

Sixteenth-century Italian composer Maddalena Casulana was the first woman to publish music under her own name, but her legacy has long been overlooked. This book explores her life, work and times, and offers valuable insights for scholars and musicians alike, combining musicology, feminist history and early modern history.

Maddalena Casulana (ca. 1535–ca. 1590) was the first woman to publish music under her own name and one of the first women to speak out publicly against the misogyny in sixteenth-century Italy. This book is the first comprehensive study dedicated to her and provides the first in-depth exploration of her life, work and music. Situating Casulana's pioneering contributions within the broader context of Renaissance music and gender history, the book reveals her as a key figure at the intersection of proto-feminist thought and early modern music. Through reconstructed madrigals, new archival research, and interdisciplinary analysis, this work will appeal to scholars of musicology, gender studies, and Renaissance history, as well as performers interested in reviving historically overlooked musical voices. Casulana's legacy speaks to both academic and contemporary audiences, making her an essential figure in the history of women in music.