SONGS + SONNETS from the Time of Mary Sidney
A CD containing 13 tracks of renaissance and original music.
Now Available !
Who was Mary Sidney ?
Mary Sidney Herbert, the Countess of Pembroke (1561-1621),
was a highly educated woman in Renaissance England.
Invited by Queen Elizabeth to live at the royal court at a young age,
Mary had an insider's view of the personalities, intrigues, and historically significant events of the time.
Mary Sidney married Henry Herbert, the second Earl of Pembroke, at the age of fifteen.
During a time when it was thoroughly inappropriate for women to write original work, she was the first woman to publish a play in English and the first woman to publish original pastoral poetry.
She developed and led the Wilton literary circle, encouraging fellow writers to compose in English.
Four and half centuries after her birth, the question has been raised:
Is Mary Sidney the true literary voice behind the works attributed to William Shakespeare?
For a fascinating exploration of this question and the life of Mary Sidney, please read
Sweet Swan of Avon: Did a Woman Write Shakespeare? by Robin P. Williams
marysidneysociety.org