A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Martines, Marianne

by Carl Ferdinand Pohl

MARTINES, or MARTINEZ, Marianne, daughter of the master of the ceremonies to the Pope's Nuncio, born May 4, 1744, at Vienna. Metastasio, a great friend of her father's, lived for nearly half a century with the family, and undertook her education. Haydn, then young, poor, and unknown, occupied a wretched garret in the same house, and taught her the harpsichord, while Porpora gave her lessons in singing and composition, her general cultivation being under Metastasio's own care. Of these advantages she made good use. Burney, who knew her in 1772^[1], speaks of her in the highest terms, specially praising her singing; and she also won the admiration of both Hasse and Gerbert. After the death of the parents, and of Metastasio, who left them well off, she and her sister gave evening parties, which were frequented by all the principal artists. On one of these occasions Kelly^[2] heard Marianne play a 4-hand sonata of Mozart's with the composer. Latterly Marianne devoted herself to teaching talented pupils. In 1773 she was made a member of the Musical Academy of Bologna. In 1782, the 'Tonkünstler Societät' performed her oratorio 'Isacco,' to Metastasio's words. She also composed two more oratorios, a mass, and other sacred music; Psalms, to Metastasio's Italian translation, for 4 and 8 voices; solo-motets, arias, and cantatas, concertos, and sonatas for clavier, overtures and symphonies. The Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde possesses the autographs of many of these works. Marianne expired on the 13th of Dec. 1812, a few days after the death of her younger sister Antonie.

[ C. F. P. ]

1. See 'Present State of Music in Germany,' i. 311–13, 352, 354, 362.
2. Kelly's mistakes of detail are innumerable. He gives the name 'Martini,' and imagining Marianne to be the sister of her father—'a very old man' and 'nearly his own age'—speaks of her as 'in the vale of years,' though still 'possessing the gaiety and vivacity of a girl.' She was barely 40.