Constantia Czirenberg
Encyclopedia
Constantia Zierenberg was a singer and musician from Danzig(Gdańsk)
in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
..
Constantia, the daughter of Anna Kerlin and Johann Zierenberg, who would be mayor from 1630 to 1642, was raised as a Calvinist. She received an excellent musical education and was also a painter. Constantia was fluent in six languages: German
, Polish
, French
, Italian
, Swedish
, and Latin
.
She sang for both Sigismund III Vasa
(reigned 1587–1632) and for Władysław IV Vasa
(1632–1648) on the occasion of their visits to Danzig. Constantia went to the imperial city of Milan
and on a year-long trip to a number of other European cultural cities.
Back home, in 1628, Constantia married the Calvinist Sigmund Kerschenstein (born 1603). They had three children, only one of whom survived her when she died in 1653.
Numerous poetic and other literary works were dedicated to her, like Johann George Moeresius
who wrote a series of poems in her honour.
In 1626, the Milan
ese publisher Filippo Lomazzo compiled and published the musical anthology
Flores praestantissimorum virorum a Philippo Lomatio Bibliopola delibati. It is preceded by a page-long dedication ad nobilissiam Constantiam Czirenbergiam Gedanensiam.
http://www.usc.edu/go/polish_music/PMJ/image/5.1.02/grochowska_sm_fig1.jpg In the dedication, she is praised for her musical talent, especially for her singing, which was recognized and admired by the most accomplished musicians and royalty of her time.
Gdansk
Gdańsk is a Polish city on the Baltic coast, at the centre of the country's fourth-largest metropolitan area.The city lies on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay , in a conurbation with the city of Gdynia, spa town of Sopot, and suburban communities, which together form a metropolitan area called the...
in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was a dualistic state of Poland and Lithuania ruled by a common monarch. It was the largest and one of the most populous countries of 16th- and 17th‑century Europe with some and a multi-ethnic population of 11 million at its peak in the early 17th century...
..
Constantia, the daughter of Anna Kerlin and Johann Zierenberg, who would be mayor from 1630 to 1642, was raised as a Calvinist. She received an excellent musical education and was also a painter. Constantia was fluent in six languages: German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
, Polish
Polish language
Polish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
, French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
, Swedish
Swedish language
Swedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...
, and Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
.
She sang for both Sigismund III Vasa
Sigismund III Vasa
Sigismund III Vasa was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, a monarch of the united Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth from 1587 to 1632, and King of Sweden from 1592 until he was deposed in 1599...
(reigned 1587–1632) and for Władysław IV Vasa
Władysław IV Vasa
Władysław IV Vasa was a Polish and Swedish prince from the House of Vasa. He reigned as King of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth from 8 November 1632 to his death in 1648....
(1632–1648) on the occasion of their visits to Danzig. Constantia went to the imperial city of Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
and on a year-long trip to a number of other European cultural cities.
Back home, in 1628, Constantia married the Calvinist Sigmund Kerschenstein (born 1603). They had three children, only one of whom survived her when she died in 1653.
Numerous poetic and other literary works were dedicated to her, like Johann George Moeresius
Johann George Moeresius
Johann Georg Moeresius was a poet and rector in Danzig , Poland.Moeresius, a friend of the poet Johannes Plavius, dedicated a series of poems to the singer Constantia Zierenberg, the daughter of Johann Zierenberg who was mayor of the town from 1630 to 1642.-Sources:...
who wrote a series of poems in her honour.
In 1626, the Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
ese publisher Filippo Lomazzo compiled and published the musical anthology
Anthology
An anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler. It may be a collection of poems, short stories, plays, songs, or excerpts...
Flores praestantissimorum virorum a Philippo Lomatio Bibliopola delibati. It is preceded by a page-long dedication ad nobilissiam Constantiam Czirenbergiam Gedanensiam.
http://www.usc.edu/go/polish_music/PMJ/image/5.1.02/grochowska_sm_fig1.jpg In the dedication, she is praised for her musical talent, especially for her singing, which was recognized and admired by the most accomplished musicians and royalty of her time.
