Constantia Czirenberg

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Constantia Czirenberg, Zi(e)renberg (1605—1653) was a Danzig (Gdańsk), Royal Prussia singer and musician. Born in 1605 as the daughter of the Danzig mayor Johann Zi(e)renberg, Zirnberg and his wife Anna Kerlin, she was raised as a Calvinist. She received an excellent musical education, and also painted. She was fluent in six languages: German, Polish, French, Italian, Swedish, and Latin.

She sang for both Sigismund III Vasa and for Władysław IV Waza on his visit to Danzig, then to the imperial city of Milan and a year-long visit to a number of other European cultural cities.

Constantia married the Calvinist Sigmund Kerschenstein (born 1603) in 1628 in Danzig. They had three children, only one of whom survived her. She died in Danzig (Gdańsk) in 1653.

Numerous poetic and other literary works were dedicated to her. Johann George Moeresius wrote a series of poems in her honor. In 1626, the Milanese publisher Filippo Lomazzo compiled and published the musical anthology Flores praestantissimorum virorum a Philippo Lomatio Bibliopola delibati. It is preceded by a page-long dedication to Constantia (Sirenberg, Czirenberg). In the dedication, she is praised for her musical talent, especially for her singing, which was recognized and admired by the most accomplished musicians and royalty of her time.