Martínez, Marianne (actually, Anna Katharina) von
Martínez, Marianne (actually, Anna Katharina) von
Martínez, Marianne (actually, Anna Katharina) von, Austrian singer, pianist, and composer; b. Vienna, May 4, 1744; d. there, Dec. 13, 1812. She was the daughter of Nicoló Martínez, who went to Vienna as “gentiluomo” to the papal nuncio. Thanks to his privileged social position in the diplomatic circles in Vienna, her father was able to engage the best instructors for her; Metastasio was put in charge of her education, and he saw that she received lessons in singing, piano, and composition from Porpora and Haydn; she also studied counterpoint with G. Bonno. She appeared as a singer and pianist at the court while still a child, and later performed in aristocratic salons. She composed several oratorios and cantatas, a Sym., 2 piano concertos, and a group of minor instrumental pieces. None of these was in any way remarkable, but her works are of historical interest as examples of musical composition by a woman of high society who contributed to the artistic life of the Austrian capital during its greatest ascendance on the international scene. Manuscripts of some of her works are preserved in the archives of the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde in Vienna.
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire