D’ESTE, Leonora

Leonora d’Este was a musician, nun, and princess who lived in Ferrara, Italy. She was the daughter of Lucrezia Borgia, a powerful noblewoman who was also the Governor of Spoleto, a position traditionally occupied by cardinals. After her mother died in 1519, Leonora was sent to the Corpus Domini Monastery where she would spend the rest of her life.

She was a collector of several keyboard instruments, suggesting that she probably played them and was therefore skilled in improvisation. She also owned the convent’s organ and may have accompanied the nuns when they sang during services. In 1543, a collection of motets for five voices, Musica quinque vocum motteta materna lingua vocata, was published in Venice. The composer’s name is noticeably omitted from the manuscript, and musicologist Laurie Stras has attributed the works to Leonora d’Este because of her known musical talent and the unlikelihood of her name appearing on any published work. Today, these pieces have become noteworthy for their particularly “sensuous and unexpectedly moving” musical characters.