Women in music history... or "the vain illusion of the men".

In 1568 Orlando di Lasso was responsible of the musical organization of the wedding of William V. of Bavaria with Renata of Lorraine, and the music programme he prepared included also two compositions of Italian women.

One of the two women was Maddalena Casulana. She is the first woman whose compositions -beside those of recognized male composers as Cipriano de Rore and Orlando di Lasso- were chosen for the collection Il Desiderio printed in Venice in 1566. In the 16th Century the italian printer Gardanott named Maddalena Casulana as "the muse and siren of our days".

This description is not an individual case. In the following decades, women played -particularly on northitalian yards- an important role in the arts, specially in the music.

The "Berliner Tage für Alte Music 2003" has invited several internationally renowed ensembles and soloists to take part on the event and presents a ten concerts cycle that light up the different sides of the topic of this edition, "Women in music history".