Also known as Maria Antonia of Bavaria (1724-1780) was Electress of Saxony as well as a composer, singer, harpsichordist and arts patron. In the same year that she wed (1747) she also joined the Accademia dell’Arcadia of Rome which sought to reform opera. Opera played a significant role in her life – she composed two operas in her lifetime, including penning the librettos. Other works attributed to Maria Antonia include arias, intermezzo, motets, and other small works.

Maria Antonia received an excellent music education, studying with Giovanni Battista Ferrandini, Nicola Porpora and Johann Adolph Hasse. Her works were published in her lifetime, though under a pseudonym, and received good reviews. You can purchase a recording of her opera Talestri, about the Amazons, through the WPA store.

The an aria from Talestri is below: