Anna Bon
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Anna Bon (11 August 1738 – after 1769) was an Italian composer and singer of the late
Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...
and early Classical periods.


Life

Anna was baptized on August 11, 1738 in
Bologna Bologna ( , , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. It is the List of cities in Italy, seventh most populous city in Italy, with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nationalities. Its M ...
as "Anna Ioanna Lucia, filia Hieronymus Boni et Rosa Ruinetti" ic some time after her parents had come back from a tour that included performances at
Anna of Russia Anna Ioannovna (; ), also russified as Anna Ivanovna and sometimes anglicized as Anne, served as regent of the Duchy of Courland and Semigallia from 1711 until 1730 and then ruled as Empress of Russia from 1730 to 1740. Much of her administratio ...
's court in
Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...
.Michaela Krucsay, ''Zwischen Aufklärung und barocker Prachtentfaltung. Anna Bon di Venezia und ihre Familie von „Operisten“.'', Bis-Verlag Universitätsverlag Oldenburg, 2015, , Page 55. Her parents were both involved in music and traveled internationally; her father was Girolamo Bon, a
Bolognese Bologna ( , , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. It is the List of cities in Italy, seventh most populous city in Italy, with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nationalities. Its M ...
librettist A libretto (From the Italian word , ) is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major ...
and
scenographer A scenographer or scenic designer, also production designer, is a person who develops the appearance of a stage design, a TV or movie set, a gaming environment, a trade fair exhibition design or a museum experience exhibition design. The term ori ...
, and her mother was the singer Rosa Ruvinetti Bon. On March 8, 1743, at the age of four, she was admitted to the
Ospedale della Pietà The Ospedale della Pietà was a convent, orphanage, and music school in Venice. Like other Venetian ''ospedali'', the Pietà was first established as a hospice for the needy. A group of Venetian nuns, called the Consorelle di Santa Maria dell’Um ...
in
Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...
as a student; that she had a surname indicates that she was not a foundling as were most of the Pietà wards, but a tuition-paying pupil (figlia de spesi). She studied with the
maestra Maestro (; from the Italian ''maestro'' , meaning "master" or "teacher," plural: maestros or maestri) is an honorific title of respect, sometimes abbreviated Mo. The term is most commonly used in the context of Western classical music and opera, ...
di
viola The viola ( , () ) is a string instrument of the violin family, and is usually bowed when played. Violas are slightly larger than violins, and have a lower and deeper sound. Since the 18th century, it has been the middle or alto voice of the ...
, Candida della Pietà (who herself had been admitted into the coro in 1707).Jane L. Berdes, "Anna Bon," Norton/Grove Dictionary of Women Composers (New York: Norton, 1995). By 1756, Anna had rejoined her parents in
Bayreuth Bayreuth ( or ; High Franconian German, Upper Franconian: Bareid, ) is a Town#Germany, town in northern Bavaria, Germany, on the Red Main river in a valley between the Franconian Jura and the Fichtel Mountains. The town's roots date back to 11 ...
where they were in the service of Margrave Friedrich of Brandenburg Kulmbach; she held the new post of 'chamber music virtuosa' at the court, and dedicated her six op. 1 flute sonatas, published in
Nürnberg Nuremberg (, ; ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the largest city in Franconia, the second-largest city in the German state of Bavaria, and its 544,414 (2023) inhabitants make it the 14th-largest city in Germany. ...
in 1756, to Friedrich. From the frontispiece we learn that she composed them at the age of sixteen. In 1762, the family moved to the
Esterházy The House of Esterházy, also spelled Eszterházy (), is a Hungarian nobility, Hungarian noble family with origins in the Middle Ages. From the 17th century, the Esterházys were the greatest landowner magnates of the Kingdom of Hungary, durin ...
court at
Eisenstadt Eisenstadt (; ; ; or ; ) is the capital city of the Provinces of Austria, Austrian state of Burgenland. With a population of 15,074 (as of 2023), it is the smallest state capital and the 38th-largest city in Austria overall. It lies at the foot o ...
, where Anna remained until at least 1765. She dedicated the published set of six
harpsichord A harpsichord is a musical instrument played by means of a musical keyboard, keyboard. Depressing a key raises its back end within the instrument, which in turn raises a mechanism with a small plectrum made from quill or plastic that plucks one ...
sonatas, op. 2 (1757), to Ernestina Augusta Sophia, Princess of
Saxe-Weimar Saxe-Weimar () was one of the Saxon duchies held by the Ernestine branch of the Wettin dynasty in present-day Thuringia. The chief town and capital was Weimar. The Weimar branch was the most genealogically senior extant branch of the House of W ...
, and the set of six divertimenti (
trio sonatas Trio may refer to: Music Groups * Trio (music), an ensemble of three performers, or a composition for such an ensemble ** Jazz trio, pianist, double bassist, drummer ** Minuet and trio, a form in classical music ** String trio, a group of three ...
), op. 3 (1759), to
Charles Theodore, Elector of Bavaria Charles Theodore (; 11 December 1724 – 16 February 1799) was a German nobleman of the Palatinate-Sulzbach, Sulzbach branch of the House of Wittelsbach. He became Count Palatine of Sulzbach at the age of six following the death of his father J ...
. By 1767, Anna was living in
Hildburghausen Hildburghausen () is a town in Thuringia in central Germany, capital of the Hildburghausen district. Geography It is situated in the Franconian part of Thuringia south of the Thuringian Forest, in the valley of the Werra River. The town centre ...
,
Thuringia Thuringia (; officially the Free State of Thuringia, ) is one of Germany, Germany's 16 States of Germany, states. With 2.1 million people, it is 12th-largest by population, and with 16,171 square kilometers, it is 11th-largest in area. Er ...
, with her husband, a singer named Mongeri.Hettrick, ''Anna Bon'', New Grove Dictionary Music and Musicians, 2nd ed., 2001.


Works list

* Six Chamber Sonatas, for
transverse flute A transverse flute or side-blown flute is a flute which is held horizontally when played.Powell, A. (2001). Transverse flute. Grove Music Online. Retrieved 6 Feb. 2024 The player blows across the embouchure hole, in a direction perpendicular to ...
with
violoncello The violoncello ( , ), commonly abbreviated as cello ( ), is a middle pitched bowed (sometimes plucked and occasionally hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually tuned in perfect fifths: from low to high, C ...
or
harpsichord A harpsichord is a musical instrument played by means of a musical keyboard, keyboard. Depressing a key raises its back end within the instrument, which in turn raises a mechanism with a small plectrum made from quill or plastic that plucks one ...
, op. 1 (VI sonate da camera: per il flauto traversiere, violoncello o cembalo: opera prima), in C, F, B, D, G Mi, G Ma (Nürnberg: Balthasar Schmidts Witwe, 1756). Facsimile reprints: (1) Firenze: Studio per Edizioni Scelte, 1988; (2) New York: Performers' Facsimiles, 1998. New editions: (1) Fayetteville AR: ClarNan Editions, 1989; (2) Kassel: Furore, 2007; (3) Sonata op. 1 no. 6, edited by Elisabeth Weinzierl, in Flute Music by Female Composers (Mainz, New York: Schott, 2008). * Six Sonatas for Harpsichord, op. 2 (Sei sonate per il cembalo, opera seconda), in G Mi, B-flat, F, C, B Mi, C (Nürnberg: Balthasar Schmidts Witwe, 1757). Facsimile edition, New York: Performers‘ Facsimiles, 1998. New editions (1) edited with introduction by Barbara Garvey Jackson, Fayetteville, AR: ClarNan Editions, 1989; (2) edited by Barbara Harbach, Pullman WA: Vivace Press, 1995; (3) edited by Jane Schatkin Hettrick, Bryn Mawr: Hildegard Publishing, 1997. * Six Divertimenti, for two flutes and
basso continuo Basso continuo parts, almost universal in the Baroque era (1600–1750), provided the harmonic structure of the music by supplying a bassline and a chord progression. The phrase is often shortened to continuo, and the instrumentalists playing th ...
, op. 3, in G, D, D Mi, G, C, A (Nürnberg: Balthasar Schmidts Witwe, 1759). New edition, edited by Sally Fortino, Bryn Mawr PA: Hildegard Publishing, 1993. *
Aria In music, an aria (, ; : , ; ''arias'' in common usage; diminutive form: arietta, ; : ariette; in English simply air (music), air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrument (music), instrumental or orchestral accompan ...
, "Astra coeli," for soprano, 2 violins, viola, and basso continuo. New edition, edited by Elke Martha Umbach and Robert Schenke, Kassel: Furore, 2006. *
Offertory The offertory (from Medieval Latin ''offertorium'' and Late Latin ''offerre'') is the part of a Eucharistic service when the bread and wine for use in the service are ceremonially placed on the altar. A collection of alms (offerings) from the c ...
, "Ardete amore," for soprano, 2 altos, bass, 2 oboes, 2 horns, 2 violins, viola, and basso continuo. *
Motet In Western classical music, a motet is mainly a vocal musical composition, of highly diverse form and style, from high medieval music to the present. The motet was one of the preeminent polyphonic forms of Renaissance music. According to the Eng ...
, "Eia in preces et veloces," for alto, 2 violins, viola, and basso continuo. * Opera, now lost, composed during her stay at the court of Prince Esterhazy in Eisenstadt.


Discography (Partial)

* Chamber Sonatas op. 1. (1) Sabine Dreier, flute; Irene Hegen, square piano. Recorded in September 1992 at St John Church, Bayreuth. Georgsmarienhütte:
Classic Produktion Osnabrück Classic Produktion Osnabrück (often referred to as cpo, in lowercase) is a record label founded in 1986 by Georg Ortmann and several others. Its declared mission is to fill niches in the recorded classical repertory, with an emphasis on romant ...
, 1992. CPO 999 181-2. (2) Christiane Meininger, flute; Traud Kloft, harpsichord. Bayer, 1994. (3) Claudio Ferrarini, flute; Andrea Corsi,
bassoon The bassoon is a musical instrument in the woodwind family, which plays in the tenor and bass ranges. It is composed of six pieces, and is usually made of wood. It is known for its distinctive tone color, wide range, versatility, and virtuosity ...
; Francesco Tasini, harpsichord. Munich: Mondo Musica, 1996. Notes include a portrait of the composer, artist's name not given. (4) Sonata d Op.1/2 Stefano Bet, traverso; Edward Smith, clavicembalo. Recorded in June 1996 at Venezia, Chiesa dell'Ospedaletto. Skira SK00272, 1996. (5) Christiane Meininger, flute; Fine Zimmermann, harpsichord. “Hofkomponistinnen in Europa. Vol. 3.”
Cybele Cybele ( ; Phrygian: ''Matar Kubileya, Kubeleya'' "Kubeleya Mother", perhaps "Mountain Mother"; Lydian: ''Kuvava''; ''Kybélē'', ''Kybēbē'', ''Kybelis'') is an Anatolian mother goddess; she may have a possible forerunner in the earliest ...
, 1999. (6) Sonata D Op.1/4 Stefano Bet, traverso; Francesco Cera, clavicembalo. Recorded in February 1998 at Lugano Teatro RTSI. Tactus 700002, 1998. * Chamber Sonatas op. 1 nos. 4 & 5; Sonatas for Harpsichord op. 2 nos. 1 & 5; Divertimenti op. 3 nos. 1-3. Elke Martha Umbach, Susanne Wendler,
flute The flute is a member of a family of musical instruments in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, producing sound with a vibrating column of air. Flutes produce sound when the player's air flows across an opening. In th ...
; Johannez Platz,
violin The violin, sometimes referred to as a fiddle, is a wooden chordophone, and is the smallest, and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in regular use in the violin family. Smaller violin-type instruments exist, including the violino picc ...
; Heike Johanna Lindner,
violoncello The violoncello ( , ), commonly abbreviated as cello ( ), is a middle pitched bowed (sometimes plucked and occasionally hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually tuned in perfect fifths: from low to high, C ...
; Jan Grüter,
theorbo The theorbo is a plucked string instrument of the lute family, with an extended neck that houses the second pegbox. Like a lute, a theorbo has a curved-back sound box with a flat top, typically with one or three sound holes decorated with rose ...
; Ilka Wagner,
bassoon The bassoon is a musical instrument in the woodwind family, which plays in the tenor and bass ranges. It is composed of six pieces, and is usually made of wood. It is known for its distinctive tone color, wide range, versatility, and virtuosity ...
; Anke Dennert, harpsichord. “Sonatas from the Court at Bayreuth.” Korschenbroich, Germany: Aeolus, 2003. * Sonatas for Harpsichord op. 2. Barbara Harbach, harpsichord. Newton CT: MSR Classics, 2008. * Sonata for Harpsichord op. 2, no. 6: Allegro. Fine Zimmermann, harpsichord. “Hofkomponistinnen in Europe, Vol. 2.” Internationale Komponistinnen-Bibliothek Unna, 1998. * Six Divertimenti op. 3. Performed on period instruments. Sabine Dreier and Peter Spohr,
transverse flute A transverse flute or side-blown flute is a flute which is held horizontally when played.Powell, A. (2001). Transverse flute. Grove Music Online. Retrieved 6 Feb. 2024 The player blows across the embouchure hole, in a direction perpendicular to ...
s; Rhoda Patrick, bassoon; Tatjana Geiger, harpsichord; Thorsten Bleich,
archlute The archlute (, , ) is a European plucked string instrument developed around 1600 as a compromise between the very large theorbo, the size and re-entrant tuning of which made for difficulties in the performance of solo music, and the Renaissan ...
. EMEC E-023, 1997. * Divertimento op. 3, no. 3, arr. for flute, violin, cello, harpsichord. "Hofkomponistinnen in Europe, Vol. 1.” Internationale Komponistinnen-Bibliothek Unna, 1988. * Divertimento op. 3 no. 6. "Wilhelmine von Bayreuth." Elisabeth Weinzierl and Edmund Wächter,
transverse flute A transverse flute or side-blown flute is a flute which is held horizontally when played.Powell, A. (2001). Transverse flute. Grove Music Online. Retrieved 6 Feb. 2024 The player blows across the embouchure hole, in a direction perpendicular to ...
s; Eva Schieferstein, harpsichord; Philipp von Morgen, cello.
Thorofon Thorofon Schallplatten KG is a classical record label based in Wedemark, Germany. Among the several series of recordings the label has published, there are works and titles such as Ludwig van Beethoven's piano sonatas, the complete works for solo ...
2565, 2010. * Chamber Sonatas op. 1 nos. 4, 5 & 6; Sonata for Harpsichord op. 2 no. 6; Divertimento op. 3 no. 4; Aria "Astra coeli"; Offertory "Ardete amore"; Motet "Eia preces et veloces." Julianne Baird, soprano; Ensemble
La Donna Musicale
" "Anna Bon: La virtuoza di Venezia" 10104, 2010. * Anna Bon Sei Sonate da Camera per il Flauto Traversiere. Silvia Moroni flauto traversiere, Ensemble Oberon. Tactus TC745201 2009


References


Citations


Sources

* Jane Schatkin Hettrick, "Anna Bon,"
Grove Music Online ''The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'' is an encyclopedic dictionary of music and musicians. Along with the German-language '' Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart'', it is one of the largest reference works on the history and t ...
, ed. L. Macy (accessed September 19, 2006)
grovemusic.com
(subscription access). *
Margaret Doody Margaret Anne Doody (born September 21, 1939) is a Canadian author of historical detective fiction and feminist literary critic. She is professor of literature at the University of Notre Dame, helped found the PhD in Literature Program at Notre Da ...
, ''Tropic of Venice''. University of Pennsylvania Press, 2007. *
Sylvia Glickman Sylvia Foodin Glickman (November 8, 1932 – January 16, 2006) was a pianist, composer, teacher, and prominent promoter of music by women composers. Glickman was born and grew up in New York City, where her mother enrolled her in music school at ...
, Martha Furman Schleifer. ''From Convent to Concert Hall: A Guide to Women Composers''. Greenwood Press, 2003.


Further reading

* Abromeit, Kathleen.
"A Profile of Anna Bon, 18th Century Venetian Composer"
Honors Project, Lawrence University, 1985.
John A. Rice, "The Minor-Major: Schema Theory, Phrase Structure, and Musical Form


External links

*
Anna Bon - recordings and resources at New Muses Project
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bon, Anna 1738 births Year of death unknown Italian women composers 18th-century Italian composers Musicians from Bologna Musicians from the Papal States