She was the only the daughter of Giacomo Padoani (1603–1666),[1] a doctor, and Diana Paresco (1609–1676); she married the Venetian noble Lorenzo Bembo (1637–1703) in 1659.
Louis granted her a pension and housing at the Petite Union Chrétienne des Dames de Saint Chaumont, a religious community.
When she completed the first collection, she dedicated to Louis XIV and entitled Produzioni Armoniche della Dama Bembo, nobile veneta, consacrate al nome immortale di Luigi XIIII il grande, rè di Francia e di Navarra ("Harmonic Productions of the Lady Bembo, Venetian noblewoman, dedicated to the immortal name of Louis XIV the great, king of France and of Navarre").
[7] The second collection is dedicated to Marie-Adélaïde of Savoy, Duchess of Burgundy, on the occasion of the birth of the first Duke of Brittany in 1704.
It contains a three-voice Te Deum and a five-voice Italian serenata (‘un picciolo divertimento’), which shows her compositional techniques of musical structure, melodic application and harmonic progression.
[7] The writing of Te Deum for five voices is skillful and represents a musician who should be trained in this type of techniques.
Hercules in Love / Tragedy / Newly set to music, by / Lady Antonia Bembo, Noble Venetian, / And dedicated to His Most Christian Majesty, / Louis the Fourteenth.
The lofty clemency, o Sire—— which decorates your valor to the highest degree and gives you pride of place among heroes —— gives me the strength and daring to offer to your right hand, to your great heart as a gift, indeed as a tribute, a new song; hereby Sire, be so kind as to look with mercy on [her] who with all zeal
offers continual vows to heaven for youBembo applied the same libretto as her teacher used before written by Francesco Buti and wrote new music for this opera.
The libretto describes a divine transformation story of the king Hercules experienced "Love, Betrayal and Redemption".
Since Bembo studied with Cavalli, her compositional techniques of Italian music is remarkable, with full of vocal virtuosity and emotional intensity.
[10] Bembo used French overture (six-part orchestra) to start the opera which replaced the original Prologue and opening five-part sinfonia Cavalli did.
Bembo used another elements of French tragédies lyriques ----Chorus in her new setting, such as 5-part (SSATB) with a basso continuo accompanying with instrumental ensemble (two high strings, two middle parts and one bass line) in Act II, scene 6.