ABSTRACT
For various reasons, female composers in Portugal, and the Iberian peninsula at large, have been widely overshadowed by their male counterparts. Even one of the most famous – Queen Maria Barbara (1711–1758) – fell under the shadow of her illustrious tutor, Domenico Scarlatti. 1 The luxurious court of Maria Bárbara’s father, King John V (r. 1706–1750) of Portugal, had a strong connection to the early pianoforte and often promoted frequent performances on this instrument. The King’s brother, Dom António (1695–1757), was also the dedicatee of the 12 Sonatas da Címbalo di Piano e Forte (1732) of Ludovico Giustini di Pistoia (1685–1743), the first known Portuguese works for the early pianoforte.
