Obscure Music Monday: Strozzi's Che si può fare

This week we move back much further in time to the 17th Century and a composition by Barbara Strozzi, Che si può fare. This lovely aria is part of a series of Arias, Cantatas, & Sernatas first published in 1664 as her Arie, Op. 8.

Strozzi, born as Barbara Valle, was a self-made force of music in Italy in the Baroque era. Unlike most composers, who were dependent on patrons and the church to support themselves, Strozzi published eight volumes of her own music without consistent patronage support. She used her music to not only express herself, but also to challenge the traditional roles of women at the time.

Che si può fare (What can be done) was published for solo voice & continuo and is a song of pleading for peace and the end of suffering of the singer. After an extended introduction, the melody soars over a simple accompaniment. Strozzi truly expresses the pleading and pain as the melody rises and falls.

As with any work for voice & continuo, much of the drama comes from the interpretation by the performers and we think you'll love the performance above as much as we did!