Maria Rosa Coccia
Maria Rosa Coccia (4 January 1759 – November 1833) was an Italian harpsichordist and composer. LifeMaria Rosa Coccia was born in Rome and studied with Sante Pesci.[1] At the age of 13, Coccia composed six sonatas for harpsichord and the oratorio Daniello, which was performed the same year in the Oratory S. Filippo Neri, in defiance of a tradition that women were not allowed to attend the event.[2] In 1716 Pope Clement XI had decreed that anyone practicing music in Rome must enter the Accademia di Santa Cecilia and pass the exam to become Maestro di Capella. At 16 Coccia passed the exam and received the title, but because of her gender was never allowed to execute the duties of the position, though her music was performed. As a practicing composer, she was admitted to Rome's Accademia de' Forti.[3] In 1780 Maestro di Cappella Francesco Capalti of Narni Cathedral attacked Coccia's examination composition and her receipt of the title. She was defended by Michele Mallio in his Elogio storico della signora Maria Rosa Coccia romana (Rome, 1780), containing letters of support from Metastasio, Carlo Broschi and Giovanni Battista Martini.[4] Pasquale Antonio Basili in 1784 published an open letter in defense of Coccia and against criticism of Capalti. Maria Rosa Coccia died in Rome. WorksSelected works include:
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