ALOARA,
An Italian princess, daughter of a count named Peter. She was married to Pandulph, surnamed Ironhead, who styled himself prince, duke, and marquis. He was, by inheritance, prince of Capua and Benevento, and the most potent nobleman in Italy. He died at Capua, in 981, leaving five sons by Aloara, all of whom were unfortunate, and three of them died violent deaths. Aloara began to reign conjointly with one of her sons in 982, and governed with wisdom and courage. She died in 992.
It is asserted that Aloara put to death her nephew, lest he should wrest the principality from her son; and, that St Nil then predicted the failure of her posterity.
ALOYSIA, SIGEA,
Of Toledo, a Spanish lady celebrated for her learning, who wrote a letter to Paul the Third, pope of Rome, in 1540, in Latin, Greek, Hebrew, Arabic, and Syriac. She was afterwards called to the court of Portugal, where she composed several works, and died young.
ALPHAIZULI,
Maria, a poetess of Seville, who lived in the eighth century. She was called the Arabian Sappho, being of Moorish extraction. Excellent works of hers are in the library of the Escurial. Many Spanish women of that time cultivated the muses with success, particularly the Andalusians.
ALTOVITI, MARSEILLE D',
A Florentine lady who settled at Marseilles, and devoted herself to writing Italian poetry. She died in 1609.
AMALIE, ANN,
Princess of Prussia, was the daughter of Frederick William the First, King of Prussia, and sister to Frederick the Great. She was born on the 9th. of November, 1723, and from her childhood shewed great talent, especially for music, with the theoretical and historical knowledge of which she became so thoroughly conversant, as to be scarcely equalled by any one of her time. At the age of twenty-one, she became Princess-Abbess of Quedlinburgh, and from that time to her death, which occurred on the 13th. of March, 1787, all her time which was not devoted to the administration of the affairs of the Abbey, was engrossed by her favourite study.
At her death her musical library said to be the most splendid and complete ever collected, was bequeathed to the Joachimsthal Gymnasium of Berlin, with a proviso that rendered it all but useless; namely, that nothing should be copied, nor any piece taken from it.
She is said to have been a woman of a harsh character and dogmatical spirit. Her musical compositions are stiff and cold, and in the severe style of the old school. Haydn, who represented the new school, was a complete horror to her; and the celebrated Graun, who composed an Oratorio on the Death of Jesus, for her brother Frederick, was told by her that his airs were too soft and sentimental, and too much in the opera style.
