I'm surprised no one has yet mentioned Cozzolani (Chiara Margarita C, c. 1602--1677), whose music comes closer to greatness than any of the merely very good female composers other listers have mentioned -- her music can pretty well rub shoulders with Monteverdi's, and that's good enough in my book. If you're interested, try the _Vespro della Beata Vergine_ and _Messa Paschale_, both performed by Magnificat directed by Warren Stewart on Musica Omnia -- respectively MO0103 and MO0209. Cheers Martin Anderson Toccata Press/Toccata Classics www.toccatapress.com