Librettista improvvisata? Così si dice di Vincenzina Viganò Mombelli

Vincenzina Viganò Mombelli (second half of the eighteenth century - 1814) is among the very few women who composed verses for music: she is indeed the author of the Demetrio e Polibio’s libretto that was set to music by Gioacchino Rossini and was performed for the first time in 1812. Despite the fact that in 1813 Giovanni Berchet expressed a positive opinion, contemporary critics consider Vincenzina an inexperienced author and note in her verses only weaknesses. The Demetrio e Polibio’s libretto is actually not a masterpiece but has many merits and shows that Vincenzina was very familiar with both the tradition and the novelties of the verses form music.