Francesca Caccini (1587-1640)
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21 of the greatest women composers in classical music
2. Francesca Caccini (1587-1640)
Singer, lutenist, poet and teacher, Caccini was the daughter of the great Renaissance composer, Giulio Caccini. She became one of the most influential female European composers but very little of her music survives. Her stage work, 'La liberazione di Ruggiero', is considered to be the first opera by a woman.