The Musical Couple Maddalena Lombardini and Lodovico Sirmen
Thursday, November 26, 2015
Maddalena Lombardini Sirmen (1745-1818) grew up in Venice’s Ospedale dei Mendicanti and was a composer, violinist, and cellist. In 1759, she took violin lessons from Giuseppe Tartini, and Ferdinando Bertoni taught her in composition.
In 1768, Maddalena went on tour with her husband Lodovico Sirmen (1738-1812), who was also a violinist and concertmaster at the Basilika S. Maria Maggiore in Bergamo. The very next year they published six string quartets that they composed together: “Composti Da Lodovico, E Madelena Laura Syrmen” (RISM A/I: S 3529). Of compositions by Maddalena alone, six violin concertos were published in London in 1772-1773 (RISM A/I: S 3535) followed by six duets for two violins (RISM A/I: S 3546). Her very first opus consisted of six trios for two violins and cello and was published in Paris (RISM A/I: S 3544). Her works were known from Stockholm to Salzburg and were played frequently. This can still be observed today given the broad dissemination of her works in printed and handwritten form.
Known works by Lodovico include one violin sonata, duets for two violins, trios for two violins and cello, a concerto for flute and orchestra, and three concertos for violin and orchestra.
The RISM online catalog has 77 entries for compositions by Maddalena Lombardini Sirmen and 44 by Lodovico Simen.
Additional sources and much more bibliographical information can be found in the thematic catalog Catalogo tematico delle composizioni di Maddalena Lombardini e Ludovico Sirmen (Padova: I Solisti Veneti, 2008) by Francesco Passadore, which he kindly sent to us. It is cited in RISM as PasS.
Enjoy Maddalena’s op.1: Trio a deux violins et violoncello, op. 1, no. 3 in D (PasSL.2.3.):
Image: Maddalena Lombardini, title page from op. 2, Trois Concerts (Amsterdam: J.J. Hummel, 1770?). RISM A/I: S 3538. Biblioteca Nacional de España (E-Mn) M/709(18)
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