BIOGRAPHY    MUSIC  RECORDINGS  SOURCES

Similar to Isabella Leonarda, Maria Peruchona took the veil as an Ursuline nun in the Collegio di Sant’Orsola in Galliate, near her hometown of Novara. She grew up in an aristocratic family that ensured her education in singing, playing instruments and general music. She studied with her uncle, Francesco Beria, and teacher, Antonio Grosso, before she took her vows at age 16.

In 1675, her only work, Sacri concerti de motetti a una, due, tre, e quattro voce, was published in Milan and dedicated to Anna Cattarina della Cerda who had previously made monetary gifts to Sant’Orsola. Sacri concerti consists of 18 motets for a variety of voices, only one incorporating a liturgical text, titled Regina coeli. Other motets from this publication with non liturgical texts were sung during certain services at the convent. The form of these works was sectional with contrasts in meter, textures, and performers. Jane Bower, editor of “Women Making Music,” holds the opinion that the most expressive use of Peruchona’s solos is found in Quid pavemus sorores, which begins with a melismatic bass solo.

Little is known of Peruchona’s life after 1690 and it is believed that she did not publish beyond Sacri concerti because her religious duties took precedence over her composing.

Music

The following selections are recommended for vocal study and programming on recitals and concerts. Please note that this list may not constitute the entirety of the composer's output. 

Recordings

Sources

Bowers, Jane. “Maria Xaveria Peruchona.” Women Composers; Music through the Ages, vol. 2. Edited by Sylvia Glickman and Martha Furman Schleifer, G.K. Hall, 1996.

Bowers, Jane and Judith Tick, editors. Women Making Music, The Western Art Tradition, 1150-1950. University of Illinois Press, 1987.

Glickman, Sylvia, and Martha Furman Schleifer, editors. From Convent to Concert Hall, A Guide to Women Composers. Greenwood Press, 2003, pp 65-66, 89.