Archilei, Vittoria (née Concarini)

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Archilei, Vittoria (née Concarini)

Archilei, Vittoria (née Concarini), admired Italian soprano, lutenist, and dancer who was known as La Romanina; b. Rome, 1550; d. after 1620. She was married to the singer and lutenist Antonio Archilei (e. 1550–1612), with whom she may have studied. She became a protégée of Cavalieri and was in the service of the court of Ferdinando de’ Medici in Florence from 1587, where she was held in great esteem. Caccini, Peri, and d’India were among her admirers. She was the subject of Marino’s poem La morte di Vittoria cantatrice famosa (1629).

—Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire