Duchess Sophie-Elisabeth

This chapter discusses the Duchess Sophie-Elisabeth's many accomplishments, as well as the cultural legacies that surrounded her and nourished her talents. Born a princess at the court of Güstrow, an active north German cultural center, Duchess Sophie-Elisabeth of Braunschweig-Lüneburg (August 20, 1613–July 12, 1676) made a distinctive mark on the course of German baroque music. Her noble rank and multifaceted talents gave her access to leading avenues of German cultural life, above all in music, along with a number of the most distinguished composers and performers of the seventeenth century. An ambitious and effective impresario, an ardent arts patron, and a serious, if not exceptional, composer, she triumphed over many adversities, administering and supporting the musical life at her husband's court of Wolfenbüttel with a strong sense of reality and initiative.