Maria Cristina Paciello

Maria Landini, a virtuoso woman serving many masters.

Abstract

The famous late-17^th- early 18^th-century stage virtuoso, Maria Landini, was known so far only through fragmentary info gleaned from books and essays on the composers whose operas she had performed as a prima donna. This study reorders such info, presents unissued archival documents on her and her family, and reconstructs the environments and theatrical productions she worked in. Landini began singing in Rome as Christina of Sweden’s chamber virtuoso, then was at the Hanover Prince-Elector’s court, and was a fixture in the traveling companies Duke Ferdinand Charles Gonzaga of Nevers sponsored. The last leg of her vibrant career was on the Vienna imperial court stages, where she successfully made use of her acting and singing skills, marked by a deep dramatic intensity.