Marianna Martines had an unquestionably singular musical education. Marianna was one of six children of Nicolo Martines, who held the respectable position of major-domo at the Viennese papal nuncio (the Pope’s embassy to the Austrian Empire). The Martines family occupied apartments on the third floor of a building on the Michaelerplatz whose other inhabitants included the composer and singing instructor Nicola Porpora, the dowager princess of the wealthy and powerful Esterházy family, and, far above in a tiny attic room, the young freelance composer Joseph Haydn, who would later achieve fame and the position of music master at the Esterházy court.
Marianna might never have made the acquaintance of these illustrious musicians if not for the presence and influence of another prominent artist of the time. Marianna's father had long been friends with Pietro Metastasio, librettist and Poet Laureate of the Austrian Empire, and eventually Metastasio moved into the Martines' apartments, effectively becoming a member of the family until his death in 1782. From his close association with the family, the poet noticed Marianna's precocity early on and immediately made arrangements for a world-class musical education. She took keyboard lessons from Haydn and singing lessons from Porpora, in addition to the general tutelage of Metastasio himself, which was far beyond the education that most women received at the time; Marianna fluently spoke Italian, German, French, and English. Soon after she began lessons, Marianna demonstrated a considerable talent for composition, so Metastasio arranged further instruction with operatic composer Johann Adolph Hasse and the imperial court composer Giuseppe Bonno.
Metastasio's efforts quickly began to bear fruit. Through her connection with Bonno, Marianna began to perform on both keyboard and voice at the imperial court. She composed in the Italian style, which was popular in Vienna at the time, inventing challenging vocal pieces for herself and eventually moving into sacred music. Throughout her career, Marianna composed 4 masses, 6 motets, and 3 litanies for choir (just a handful of some 65 compositions); her third mass was performed at the Michaelerkirche (St. Michael’s Church, next door to the Martines home) to the great approval of the general public. Despite her success and accomplishment as both composer and performer, however, Marianna never sought an appointed position, as it would have been wholly inappropriate for a women of her social class to pursue employment. She did, though, continue to play at court, often at the express request of the Empress Maria Theresa. Additionally, Marianna and her sister hosted frequent musical soirées, which attracted prominent guests from across Europe--including W.A. Mozart, a close friend with whom Marianna wrote and performed duets.
Unlike Nannerl Mozart and many others before her, Marianna Martines was able to maintain her musical involvement throughout her adulthood. Thanks to a generous inheritance from her erstwhile mentor Metastasio, she remained financially independent, which gave her the freedom to choose not to marry; nothing and nobody could prevent her from playing and composing music. Despite the success and longevity of Marianna's musical career, however, she barely figures in the modern music history consciousness. This was due in part to the security of her social and financial situation, as she had no need to earn a living or a reputation by publishing and performing (few of her compositions are widely available today, because she rarely released her works publicly). Perhaps Marianna would have created a more enduring legacy if, like her teacher Joseph Haydn, she had taken a permanent position at court; the heavy demand of influential patrons has been an impetus for countless artists, motivating them to experiment and innovate--and consequently bringing them centuries of fame. But comfortable lifestyle aside, Marianna Martines' professional opportunities were still severely limited by her gender, and we can only speculate as to what might, in another era, have become of this prodigious musician.
Godt, I. (1995). Marianna in Italy: The International Reputation of Marianna Martines (1744-1812). The Journal of Musicology, 13(4), 538–561. Retrieved January 20, 2015, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/763898
Godt, I. (1998). Marianna in Vienna: A Martines Chronology. The Journal of Musicology, 16(1), 136-158. Retrieved January 20, 2015, from
http://www.jstor.org/stable/764080
Marianna might never have made the acquaintance of these illustrious musicians if not for the presence and influence of another prominent artist of the time. Marianna's father had long been friends with Pietro Metastasio, librettist and Poet Laureate of the Austrian Empire, and eventually Metastasio moved into the Martines' apartments, effectively becoming a member of the family until his death in 1782. From his close association with the family, the poet noticed Marianna's precocity early on and immediately made arrangements for a world-class musical education. She took keyboard lessons from Haydn and singing lessons from Porpora, in addition to the general tutelage of Metastasio himself, which was far beyond the education that most women received at the time; Marianna fluently spoke Italian, German, French, and English. Soon after she began lessons, Marianna demonstrated a considerable talent for composition, so Metastasio arranged further instruction with operatic composer Johann Adolph Hasse and the imperial court composer Giuseppe Bonno.
Metastasio's efforts quickly began to bear fruit. Through her connection with Bonno, Marianna began to perform on both keyboard and voice at the imperial court. She composed in the Italian style, which was popular in Vienna at the time, inventing challenging vocal pieces for herself and eventually moving into sacred music. Throughout her career, Marianna composed 4 masses, 6 motets, and 3 litanies for choir (just a handful of some 65 compositions); her third mass was performed at the Michaelerkirche (St. Michael’s Church, next door to the Martines home) to the great approval of the general public. Despite her success and accomplishment as both composer and performer, however, Marianna never sought an appointed position, as it would have been wholly inappropriate for a women of her social class to pursue employment. She did, though, continue to play at court, often at the express request of the Empress Maria Theresa. Additionally, Marianna and her sister hosted frequent musical soirées, which attracted prominent guests from across Europe--including W.A. Mozart, a close friend with whom Marianna wrote and performed duets.
Unlike Nannerl Mozart and many others before her, Marianna Martines was able to maintain her musical involvement throughout her adulthood. Thanks to a generous inheritance from her erstwhile mentor Metastasio, she remained financially independent, which gave her the freedom to choose not to marry; nothing and nobody could prevent her from playing and composing music. Despite the success and longevity of Marianna's musical career, however, she barely figures in the modern music history consciousness. This was due in part to the security of her social and financial situation, as she had no need to earn a living or a reputation by publishing and performing (few of her compositions are widely available today, because she rarely released her works publicly). Perhaps Marianna would have created a more enduring legacy if, like her teacher Joseph Haydn, she had taken a permanent position at court; the heavy demand of influential patrons has been an impetus for countless artists, motivating them to experiment and innovate--and consequently bringing them centuries of fame. But comfortable lifestyle aside, Marianna Martines' professional opportunities were still severely limited by her gender, and we can only speculate as to what might, in another era, have become of this prodigious musician.
Godt, I. (1995). Marianna in Italy: The International Reputation of Marianna Martines (1744-1812). The Journal of Musicology, 13(4), 538–561. Retrieved January 20, 2015, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/763898
Godt, I. (1998). Marianna in Vienna: A Martines Chronology. The Journal of Musicology, 16(1), 136-158. Retrieved January 20, 2015, from
http://www.jstor.org/stable/764080