Women in music - Marianna Martines

Marianna Martines (1744 - 1812)

Charles Barney, famous chronicler of the 18th century musical life, spent several weeks in Vienna in 1772 and on this occasion he met a female artist at the home Pietro Metastasio. This talented girl was Marianna Martines, one of those great female musicians, whose music was for a long time forgotten. The attention of the English historian was attracted primarily by her elegant appearance, as well as by musical talents for which he could hardly find adequate words. In his musical memoirs he emphasized the beauty of her voice, which captivated him with naturalness, grace, overall ease and perfect intonation. In addition to describing young Mariana Martines as "the most perfect singer he has ever heard", Barney also praised her masterful playing of the harpsichord. Barney then concluded: 

"She truly exceeded my expectations. She sang two arias, which she composed herself on Metastasio's verses and accompanied herself on the harpsichord in a sensitive and masterful way."

The Spaniards of Naples in Vienna

Her paternal grandfather was a Spanish soldier who lived in Naples, where Marianna's father, Niccolo Martines, was born. At first he wanted to continue in his father's footsteps and become a soldier, but he eventually changed his profession and received an appointment as maestro di camera in the papal service in Vienna. From the time he lived in Naples, one of the most important musical cities, dates Nicola's acquaintance with the famous librettist Pietro Metastasio, who received an invitation to serve as a poet in the court of Vienna in the 1830s. At the end, this writer spent the rest of his life in Vienna with the members of the Martines family. He was actually a key figure in the educational process of  talented Marianna, who was born in 1744 at the home of Pietro Metastasio on Michaelerplatz.

Pietro Metastasio

Music lessons with - the neighbors

At that time, it was common practice to rent appartments in a building according to one's own position in the society. Thus, at the time of Marianna's upbringing, a princess from the rich Esterhaza family, who was otherwise known for patronizing the arts, lived on the ground floor. The damp room in the attic of the building was occupied by Joseph Haydn, a young composer who was trying to break into the music world at the time.

Thanks to Metastasio's dedication as a mentor, Marianna has mastered performing and composing while studying music with excellent pedagogues, who were her first neighbors. She first studied the harpsichord with Joseph Haydn and at the age of ten she began singing under the watchful eye of Nicola Porpora. During singing lessons, she was accompanied by Haydn, who was then an assistant to the great Italian vocal coach. When she showed interest and ability to compose, she went in that direction to develop her potentials, studying with Johann Adolf Hasse and Giuseppe Bono. Marianna received her musical music education thanks to the social position of her family, which built strong ties in noble circles and made close contacts with the Austrian imperial family.

Nicola Porpora

Musical soirées in Marianna's home

Considering that she could not get any official appointment during life, Marianna Martines displayed her skills within the salons organized in her home. Such academies or soirées were places where many famous artists performed their compositions, and especially women who could only show their talent in such circumstances.

Unlike London and Paris, where a tradition of holding public concerts had already been developed, there was no such practice in Vienna during the reign of Maria Theresa and Joseph II, so friends and acquaintances gathered in the homes of wealthier citizens to discuss various topics. They also enjoyed listening to music. Those were the moments when Marianna was able to showcase her lavish performing and composing skills, as well as making important contacts with other artists such as Haydn or Mozart, with whom she often played on a single harpsichord in four hands.

"Thanks to her charming and unusually modest demeanor, coupled with artistic skills, she was respected by everyone and at the same time had access to the best homes in the city. Her Majesty Maria Theresa often demanded that she be in her company so that she could enjoy her art, and His Majesty Joseph II, equally sympathetic to music, used to turn the pages while Miss Martines played."

Marianna's ouvre

Marianna Martines was a prolific composer. She wrote vocal and instrumental works of different genres. She obviously wrote solo vocal compositions to perform them herself, and judging by the technical requirements of these works, one can conclude that she was an extraordinary singer, which is not surprising since her singing professor was Nicola Porpora, one of the greatest singing teachers of that time. Her oeuvre includes oratorios and secular cantatas, but also sacred music like masses, motets and litanies, as well as instrumental music such as sonatas and concerts. 

The highlight of her career was when she became a member of the prestigious Accademia Filarmonica in Bologna in 1773. At that time, she was the first woman to receive that honorable position.

Marianna Martines