Carlotta Ferrari

Carlotta Ferrari was born in Lodi in 1831 and died in Bologna in 1907. She studied at the Conservatorio di Milano from 1844 to 1850 and soon established herself as a composer and literary figure. She was referred to as “the Bellini in petticoats” or “the heroine of the Risorgimento,” but she also faced harsh criticism and difficulties due to her gender. She signed her debut romances, published by Ricordi, and her subsequent works as Carlotta Ferrari until between 1865 and 1867, when she began to add her place of birth to her name through the Blanchi editions, becoming known as Carlotta Ferrari da Lodi.

Among her compositions, the Messa di Requiem stands out, performed in Turin on July 28, 1868, which won the Competition for the honors of Carlo Alberto di Savoia with female voices and choirs that at that time were still excluded from the sacred repertoire.