Marianna Martines

1744 - 1812

Christened Anna Catherina, she preferred and used Marianna throughout her life. She was born in Vienna, into a community of emigres from Naples including Nicola Porpora and Pietro Trapassi.

Her father, a former soldier, moved to Vienna as Master of the Chamber to the Papal Nuncio to the Imperial Court.

A struggling young Joseph Haydn lived in the attic above her family apartment and at the other end of the social scale, a princess of the Esterházy family occupied the ground floor.

If it was still unusual for a woman to make a career in her own name in music Marianna was in the right place at the right time.

Trapassi first noticed Marianna’s inherent musical talents and took her under his wing from an early age. By the time she was ten she was taking singing lessons from Porpora and piano lessons from Haydn!

When it became apparent that in addition to being a talented singer she had a gift for composition, she was given lessons by the Imperial Court’s composer, Giuseppe Bonno.

She performed frequently at the Imperial Court from a young age and was regularly asked to perform for the Empress Maria Theresa.

Marianna never married but looked after Trapassi until his death whereupon she inherited his estate. This gave her financial means and she and her sister set up regular musical soirees attended by the great and good of Vienna.

She left behind a substantial body of work including two oratorios setting texts of Trapassi, cantatas, motets and half a dozen masses.