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Ospedale della Pietà

January 31, 2023

The Ospedale della Pietà was a convent, orphanage, and music school in Venice. Like other Venetian ospedali, the Pietà was first established as a hospice for the needy. A group of Venetian nuns, called the Consorelle di Santa Maria dell’Umiltà, established this charitable institution for orphans and abandoned girls in the fourteenth century. By the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries the Pietà – along with the three other charitable Ospedali Grandi – was well known for its all-female musical ensembles that attracted tourists and patrons from around Europe.

Ospedale della Pietà

Musical activity

Infants could be left at the Pietà via the scaffetta, a window only large enough to admit infants. Not all infants were female, nor were they necessarily orphans. Through the seventeenth century all four of the surviving ospedali gained increasing attention through the performances of sacred music by their female musicians, known as figlie di coro. Formal rules for the training of figlie were carefully drafted and periodically revised.[1] Many of these concerts were given for select audiences consisting of important visitors. The audience was separated from the performers by a metal grill, following the example of convents to protect the women from the gaze of the visiters. As the institution became celebrated, it sometimes received infants related (not always legitimately) to members of the nobility. In the later decades of the Venetian Republic, which collapsed in 1797, it also accepted adolescent music students – called figlie di spese – whose fees were paid by sponsoring foreign courts or dignitaries.[2]

The Pietà produced many virtuose like the violinist Chiara della Pietà and the soprano vocalist Fortunata Cantora, as well as composers, such as Agata della Pietà,[3] and at least two composers who made careers outside of the institutions: Anna Bon and Vincenta Da Ponte. The life of successful figlie was much coveted. Some were given lavish gifts by admirers, and many were offered periods of vacation in villas on the Italian mainland. Most remained there their entire lives, though as the Venetian economy declined in the eighteenth century, some left to make (usually advantageous) marriages. In this instance, the institution provided a future bride with a small dowry.

Each Ospedali Grandi usually had an orchestra of at least thirty to forty musicians (La Pietà's orchestra counted up to sixty), all females, and the institutions competed with each other by hiring the best musicians in the city, promoting high quality concerts. Through such activities. they provided countless commissions for violin and other instruments makers to provide for the maintenance and repair of such instruments. These artisans were named "liuter del loco". The office of "liuter del loco" guaranteed a constant flow of income: curating the instruments of an entire orchestra was a burdensome activity which required the work of more than one person; instruments had to be picked up, continuously repaired because of breakage and ungluing from use, and sometimes instruments had to be built. The responsible violin maker also had to supply strings for the entire orchestra, keep an accounting book detailing all operations, and issue semi-annual or annual invoices. These invoices, or ‘policies’ as they were called at the time, were handwritten by the appointed violin maker and had to be approved by the "maestre del coro" or the maestro di cappella – who would usually be granted a discount – before being paid by the hospital administration. These ‘policies’ are not only a precious source of information for the study of an author (luthier) and his work, but they are also a valid tool to gather more information on the musical practice of the "sonadori" (players) of the time. There is also much information that can be gleaned from their organological study. For a reading of some of the most interesting invoices, we refer to the appendix of Pio[4] book where some of them (the author has found and catalogued more than 110, totaling 400 pages) are listed in chronological order and cover the years from 1750 to 1810.

The composer Antonio Vivaldi was appointed a violin teacher in 1703 and served in various roles through 1715, and again from 1723 to 1740. Much of Vivaldi's sacred vocal and instrumental music was written for performance at the Pietà.[5] The conservatory of the Pietà hospital was the only hospital to remain active until approximately 1830. All the other hospitals completely closed their musical activity during the first years of the nineteenth century. From an instrument inventory[6] dated 1790 we learn that during that year the Pietà hospital had still “four violins with used bows, four cellos, seventeen violins, two marine trumpets (these may have been violini in tromba marina),[7] six small violas, two viola d’amore, two mandolines, two lutes, one theorbo, four hunting horns with accessories, two psalteries with harmonic box, two cymbals, three flutes, two big cymbals with spinets, six spinets.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau's account of 1770 conveys his impressions but has been over-generalized as a description of the institution over an entire century. After describing how the performers were hidden behind metal grilles, he related in his Confessions (1770):

I have not an idea of anything so voluptuous and affecting as this music; the richness of the art, the exquisite taste of the vocal part, the excellence of the voices, the justness of the execution, everything in these delightful concerts concurs to produce an impression which certainly is not the mode, but from which I am of opinion no heart is secure.

He goes on to describe meeting the musicians.[8]

The original building (shown above) is currently a hotel-restaurant complex (the Metropole). The nearby church of the Pietà was completed in 1761, two decades after the death of Antonio Vivaldi. The facade of the church was only completed in the early 20th century. An early childhood education center is still housed in the rear of the building complex behind the church. Most of this complex was donated to the Ospedale in the 1720s, enabling it to expand its activities. Some of Vivaldi's premiere pupils, such as Anna Maria del Violino, were given individual rooms in these newly acquired buildings. It is possible that in the salon of one of them the famous concert for "i conti del Nord", celebrated in a painting by Francesco Guardi,[9] took place on January 22, 1782.[citation needed] Guardi's painting is mistitled[citation needed] "The Dinner and Ball in the Teatro San Benedetto".

 
Gala Concert in Old Procuratory for Czar's Daughter-in-Law (1780) by Guardi.

Musicians who studied in the Ospedale

Composers who held posts at the Ospedale della Pietà

References in Fiction

  • Vivaldi's Virgins, first published in 2007 and translated into 12 languages, is a novel by Barbara Quick set in the Ospedale della Pietà during the lifetime of Anna Maria della Pietà, one of Vivaldi's favorite students there. The novel was released as an audio title in December 2019.
  • The Ospedale della Pieta is the main setting of Rosalind Laker's (pen name of Barbara Ovstedal) The Venetian Mask (1992)
  • Corona, L. The Four Seasons: A Novel of Vivaldi's Venice. (2008) is a romanticized history of the women who were abandoned and studied in the Ospedale della Pietà.
  • Vivaldi's Ring of Mystery is a play and audiobook by Classical Kids. The protagonist, known simply as Katarina attends the Ospedale della Pietà and finds herself looking for clues about a violin belonging to the Duke of Cremona. The work won the Juno Award for Children's Album of the Year at the Juno Awards of 1992.

References

  1. ^ Baldauf-Berdes, Jane (1993). Women Musicians of Venice: Musical Foundations, 1525-1855. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
  2. ^ Porta, Giovanni (1 January 1995). Selected sacred music from the Ospedale della Pietà. A-R Editions, Inc. pp. 7–8. ISBN 978-0-89579-318-8.
  3. ^ Vanessa Tonelli, "Le Figlie di Coro: Women's Musical Education and Performance at the Venetian Ospedali Maggiori," (PhD Dissertation. Northwestern University, 2022), 208.
  4. ^ Stefano Pio book pp.322 – 403
  5. ^ Heller, Karl (1997). Antonio Vivaldi: The Red Priest of Venice. Hal Leonard Corporation. pp. 51–54. ISBN 978-1-57467-015-8.
  6. ^ Pio Stefano book
  7. ^ Chandler, Adrian; Recreating Vivaldi's violino in tromba marina; The Strad, 15 April 2015: https://www.thestrad.com/recreating-vivaldis-violino-in-tromba-marina/4526.article Retrieved 1 March 2021
  8. ^ "Jean-Jacques Rousseau - Wikiquote". en.wikiquote.org. Retrieved 2016-12-15.
  9. ^ "Francesco Guardi (1712-1793)". Retrieved 2016-12-15.

Bibliography

  • Jane L. Baldauf-Berdes: Women Musicians of Venice. Musical Foundations, 1525–1855. Rev. ed. Oxford 1996; ISBN 0-19-816604-4
  • Fernyhough, Clare (12 February 2006). . Independent on Sunday (UK national title). p. 32. Archived from the original on February 5, 2011. Retrieved 19 September 2010.
  • André Romijn. Hidden Harmonies: The Secret Life of Antonio Vivaldi (2008); ISBN 978-0-9554100-1-7
  • (2007); ISBN 978-0-8047-4437-9
  • E. Selfridge-Field. Venetian Instrumental Music from Gabrieli to Vivaldi, 3rd rev. edn., 1994; ISBN 0-486-28151-5
  • E. Selfridge-Field. Pallade Veneta: Writings on Music in Venetian Society, 1650–1750. Venice (1985); ISBN 9788875520069
  • ; retrieved 20 February 2006; archived from the original on 2006-12-05.
  • Vanessa Tonelli "Le Figlie di Coro: Women's Musical Education and Performance at the Venetian Ospedali Maggiori." PhD Dissertation. Northwestern University, 2022.
  • Vanessa Tonelli. "Women and music in the Venetian Ospedali." Thesis. Michigan State University 2013.

External links

January 31, 2023
ospedale, della, pietà, convent, orphanage, music, school, venice, like, other, venetian, ospedali, pietà, first, established, hospice, needy, group, venetian, nuns, called, consorelle, santa, maria, dell, umiltà, established, this, charitable, institution, or. The Ospedale della Pieta was a convent orphanage and music school in Venice Like other Venetian ospedali the Pieta was first established as a hospice for the needy A group of Venetian nuns called the Consorelle di Santa Maria dell Umilta established this charitable institution for orphans and abandoned girls in the fourteenth century By the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries the Pieta along with the three other charitable Ospedali Grandi was well known for its all female musical ensembles that attracted tourists and patrons from around Europe Ospedale della Pieta Contents 1 Musical activity 2 Musicians who studied in the Ospedale 3 Composers who held posts at the Ospedale della Pieta 4 References in Fiction 5 References 6 Bibliography 7 External linksMusical activity EditInfants could be left at the Pieta via the scaffetta a window only large enough to admit infants Not all infants were female nor were they necessarily orphans Through the seventeenth century all four of the surviving ospedali gained increasing attention through the performances of sacred music by their female musicians known as figlie di coro Formal rules for the training of figlie were carefully drafted and periodically revised 1 Many of these concerts were given for select audiences consisting of important visitors The audience was separated from the performers by a metal grill following the example of convents to protect the women from the gaze of the visiters As the institution became celebrated it sometimes received infants related not always legitimately to members of the nobility In the later decades of the Venetian Republic which collapsed in 1797 it also accepted adolescent music students called figlie di spese whose fees were paid by sponsoring foreign courts or dignitaries 2 The Pieta produced many virtuose like the violinist Chiara della Pieta and the soprano vocalist Fortunata Cantora as well as composers such as Agata della Pieta 3 and at least two composers who made careers outside of the institutions Anna Bon and Vincenta Da Ponte The life of successful figlie was much coveted Some were given lavish gifts by admirers and many were offered periods of vacation in villas on the Italian mainland Most remained there their entire lives though as the Venetian economy declined in the eighteenth century some left to make usually advantageous marriages In this instance the institution provided a future bride with a small dowry Each Ospedali Grandi usually had an orchestra of at least thirty to forty musicians La Pieta s orchestra counted up to sixty all females and the institutions competed with each other by hiring the best musicians in the city promoting high quality concerts Through such activities they provided countless commissions for violin and other instruments makers to provide for the maintenance and repair of such instruments These artisans were named liuter del loco The office of liuter del loco guaranteed a constant flow of income curating the instruments of an entire orchestra was a burdensome activity which required the work of more than one person instruments had to be picked up continuously repaired because of breakage and ungluing from use and sometimes instruments had to be built The responsible violin maker also had to supply strings for the entire orchestra keep an accounting book detailing all operations and issue semi annual or annual invoices These invoices or policies as they were called at the time were handwritten by the appointed violin maker and had to be approved by the maestre del coro or the maestro di cappella who would usually be granted a discount before being paid by the hospital administration These policies are not only a precious source of information for the study of an author luthier and his work but they are also a valid tool to gather more information on the musical practice of the sonadori players of the time There is also much information that can be gleaned from their organological study For a reading of some of the most interesting invoices we refer to the appendix of Pio 4 book where some of them the author has found and catalogued more than 110 totaling 400 pages are listed in chronological order and cover the years from 1750 to 1810 The composer Antonio Vivaldi was appointed a violin teacher in 1703 and served in various roles through 1715 and again from 1723 to 1740 Much of Vivaldi s sacred vocal and instrumental music was written for performance at the Pieta 5 The conservatory of the Pieta hospital was the only hospital to remain active until approximately 1830 All the other hospitals completely closed their musical activity during the first years of the nineteenth century From an instrument inventory 6 dated 1790 we learn that during that year the Pieta hospital had still four violins with used bows four cellos seventeen violins two marine trumpets these may have been violini in tromba marina 7 six small violas two viola d amore two mandolines two lutes one theorbo four hunting horns with accessories two psalteries with harmonic box two cymbals three flutes two big cymbals with spinets six spinets Jean Jacques Rousseau s account of 1770 conveys his impressions but has been over generalized as a description of the institution over an entire century After describing how the performers were hidden behind metal grilles he related in his Confessions 1770 I have not an idea of anything so voluptuous and affecting as this music the richness of the art the exquisite taste of the vocal part the excellence of the voices the justness of the execution everything in these delightful concerts concurs to produce an impression which certainly is not the mode but from which I am of opinion no heart is secure He goes on to describe meeting the musicians 8 The original building shown above is currently a hotel restaurant complex the Metropole The nearby church of the Pieta was completed in 1761 two decades after the death of Antonio Vivaldi The facade of the church was only completed in the early 20th century An early childhood education center is still housed in the rear of the building complex behind the church Most of this complex was donated to the Ospedale in the 1720s enabling it to expand its activities Some of Vivaldi s premiere pupils such as Anna Maria del Violino were given individual rooms in these newly acquired buildings It is possible that in the salon of one of them the famous concert for i conti del Nord celebrated in a painting by Francesco Guardi 9 took place on January 22 1782 citation needed Guardi s painting is mistitled citation needed The Dinner and Ball in the Teatro San Benedetto Gala Concert in Old Procuratory for Czar s Daughter in Law 1780 by Guardi Musicians who studied in the Ospedale EditChiara della Pieta Anna Maria della Pieta Michielina della Pieta Santa della Pieta Agata della Pieta Fortunata Cantora Vincenta Da Ponte Anna Bon Maddalena Laura Sirmen at the Mendicanti Regina Strinasacchi Candida della PietaComposers who held posts at the Ospedale della Pieta EditAndrea Bernasconi Bonaventura Furlanetto Francesco Gasparini Alvise Grani Antonio Gualtieri Gaetano Latilla Antonio Martinelli Fulgenso Perotti Giovanni Porta Johann Rosenmuller Giuseppe Sarti Giacomo Filippo Spada Antonio Vandini Antonio VivaldiReferences in Fiction EditVivaldi s Virgins first published in 2007 and translated into 12 languages is a novel by Barbara Quick set in the Ospedale della Pieta during the lifetime of Anna Maria della Pieta one of Vivaldi s favorite students there The novel was released as an audio title in December 2019 The Ospedale della Pieta is the main setting of Rosalind Laker s pen name of Barbara Ovstedal The Venetian Mask 1992 Corona L The Four Seasons A Novel of Vivaldi s Venice 2008 is a romanticized history of the women who were abandoned and studied in the Ospedale della Pieta Vivaldi s Ring of Mystery is a play and audiobook by Classical Kids The protagonist known simply as Katarina attends the Ospedale della Pieta and finds herself looking for clues about a violin belonging to the Duke of Cremona The work won the Juno Award for Children s Album of the Year at the Juno Awards of 1992 References Edit Baldauf Berdes Jane 1993 Women Musicians of Venice Musical Foundations 1525 1855 Oxford Clarendon Press Porta Giovanni 1 January 1995 Selected sacred music from the Ospedale della Pieta A R Editions Inc pp 7 8 ISBN 978 0 89579 318 8 Vanessa Tonelli Le Figlie di Coro Women s Musical Education and Performance at the Venetian Ospedali Maggiori PhD Dissertation Northwestern University 2022 208 Stefano Pio book pp 322 403 Heller Karl 1997 Antonio Vivaldi The Red Priest of Venice Hal Leonard Corporation pp 51 54 ISBN 978 1 57467 015 8 Pio Stefano book Chandler Adrian Recreating Vivaldi s violino in tromba marina The Strad 15 April 2015 https www thestrad com recreating vivaldis violino in tromba marina 4526 article Retrieved 1 March 2021 Jean Jacques Rousseau Wikiquote en wikiquote org Retrieved 2016 12 15 Francesco Guardi 1712 1793 Retrieved 2016 12 15 Bibliography EditJane L Baldauf Berdes Women Musicians of Venice Musical Foundations 1525 1855 Rev ed Oxford 1996 ISBN 0 19 816604 4 Fernyhough Clare 12 February 2006 Revealed Vivaldi s life with a whole orchestra of women Independent on Sunday UK national title p 32 Archived from the original on February 5 2011 Retrieved 19 September 2010 Andre Romijn Hidden Harmonies The Secret Life of Antonio Vivaldi 2008 ISBN 978 0 9554100 1 7 Eleanor Selfridge Field A New Chronology of Venetian Opera and Related Genres 1660 1760 2007 ISBN 978 0 8047 4437 9 E Selfridge Field Venetian Instrumental Music from Gabrieli to Vivaldi 3rd rev edn 1994 ISBN 0 486 28151 5 E Selfridge Field Pallade Veneta Writings on Music in Venetian Society 1650 1750 Venice 1985 ISBN 9788875520069 Vivaldi s Violins the Accounts of Ospedale della Pieta retrieved 20 February 2006 archived from the original on 2006 12 05 Vanessa Tonelli Le Figlie di Coro Women s Musical Education and Performance at the Venetian Ospedali Maggiori PhD Dissertation Northwestern University 2022 Vanessa Tonelli Women and music in the Venetian Ospedali Thesis Michigan State University 2013 External links EditOfficial website in Italian 45 26 03 N 12 20 41 E 45 4341 N 12 3446 E 45 4341 12 3446 Coordinates 45 26 03 N 12 20 41 E 45 4341 N 12 3446 E 45 4341 12 3446 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Ospedale della Pieta amp oldid 1117672046, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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