Are you familiar with the name “Antonia Bembo”? How about “Antonio Vivaldi”? I’d wager that you’re familiar with the latter but not the former - which is exactly the point. 

Antonia Bembo was an Italian composer and singer of the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. The reason you haven’t heard of her isn’t because her music is underwhelming: Bembo’s talent actually took her from Italy to France, where she was employed by King Louis XIV as a composer and singer. Her music has been unduly neglected because of her gender; she is every bit as good as her male contemporaries, and we’re proving it by putting her music side-by-side with the Vivaldi Gloria - one of the classics of the choral repertoire - and letting you draw your own conclusions. 

According to one etymology, the name “Antonia/o means “worthy of praise”. In this little-heard work by Antonia Bembo, you’ll hear that she’s just as praiseworthy as any Antonio. 

Featuring music by: Antonia Bembo, Antonio Vivaldi, and others