Background
She was born in Posillipo, and died in Rome.
She was born in Posillipo, and died in Rome.
In 1610, she worked for the Gonzagas in Mantua. Leonora and Caterina were both successful singers in their own right. Claudio Monteverdi declared that Basile was a more talented singer than Francesca Caccini, who was at that time at the Medici court.
While still working for the Mantuan court, she travelled to Florence, Rome, Naples, and Modena.
She performed in Alessandro Guarini"s Licori, ovvero L’incanto d’amore. In 1626 she retired from the service of the Gonzagas, and moved to Naples and later Rome.
None of Basile"s music survives, but she is known to have improvised on poetry, including in a competition with Caccini in November 1623.