THEGIRLS
Early Music America
Spring 2012
27
N
OINVESTIGATION
into the life, work,and performing tradition of Antonio Vivaldi would be complete without considering the story of theextraordinary creative partnership between the great composer and the Venetian institution called the Ospedaledella Pietà, a home for abandonedchildren where, for most of the early 18th century, Vivaldi was a violinteacher, musical director, and in-housecomposer. The institution had its ownall-female orchestra and choir whoprovided sacred “entertainment” in thechurch for visitingtourists. The uniquerelationship that Vivaldi formed withthese young women was crucial to Vivaldi’sprodigious output of both instrumentalmusic and some of the finest and mostprofound choral music written during theheight of the Italian Baroque. Two recent recordings by MatthiasMaute and his Montreal-based EnsembleCaprice have explored these textures,paying homage to Vivaldi’s work withthe girls of the Ospedale.
Gloria! Vivaldi’s Angels (2008)
and
Vivaldi: The Return of the Angels (2011)
use the all-female vocalforces originally heard in works suchas the famous
Gloria
, RV589 and the oratorio,
Juditha triumphans
, RV 644.Founded between 1336 and 1346,the Ospedale della Pietà was one of four institutions that, for several centuries,served the Republic of Venice’s most vul-nerable, ill, and destitute citizens. A very progressive model of social welfare for itstime, the Ospedale only required illegiti-macy for admission to one of Europe’sfinest conservatory programs.One of the features of the buildingitself was a revolving door built intothe outer wall, known as a
scaffetta
, where the unwanted children of Venicecould be anonymously deposited, to becollected by a prioress on the other side. The quality of education the orphansreceived was very high for the era, caus-ing the state to issue an edict threateningexcommunication to any family who left their legitimate offspring atthe Ospedale, in hopesthat they would get a better education therethan what their ownfamilies could afford. At ten, boys were sentaway to be apprenticedin trades, while girlsremained to be further educated in a field that would allowthem to be employable as adults. At theOspedale della Pietà, a small percentageof girls who demonstrated talent werehandpicked for musical training. They became known as
figlie di coro
(literally,“daughters of the choir”), though they were trained as instrumentalists as wellas singers. These young women becamea sensation, attracting tourists from allover Europe, who were eager to hear theexotic and angelic sounds they pro-duced.Discussing the research and prepara-tion that went into Ensemble Caprice’s
By Pemi Paull
WhoPlayed withFire
Ensemble Caprice has madetwo recordings exploring themusic that Antonio Vivaldiwrote for his highly trainedall-girl orchestra and chorusat the Ospedale della Pietà
28
Spring 2012
Early Music America
recordings of Vivaldi’s sacred choral works, Maute noted that Vivaldi was wellaware of how unusual his role was asmusic director at the Ospedale.“Vivaldi was inspired by the very particular ambiance of the Ospedale,”Maute says. “We felt that this needed to be re-created, because it would be just aseffective today as then. There must have been an energy created by the situationin which Vivaldi wrote his music, and itinspired and informed the work. It is stilla singular effect today.” Vivaldi was ordained a priest in 1703. Within a year of being ordained, howev-er, because of a host of physical com-plaints (possibly angina pectoris, asth-matic bronchitis, or a nervous disorder of some sort), he no longer felt com-pelled to celebrate mass. It is also possi- ble that Vivaldi was simulating illness—there were whisperings that he some-times left the altar in order to quickly jotdown a musical idea in the sacristy! Inany event, it appears that he had becomea priest reluctantly, perhaps because inhis day training for the priesthood wasoften the only possible way to obtain afree education.
Vivaldi at the Ospedale
Vivaldi’s relationship with theOspedale began right after his ordina-tion, when he was named as violinteacher there. From then on, he wasassociated with the Ospedale throughouthis life, except for 1710, when he was letgo for a year and composed operas for the Teatro Sant’ Angelo, and for a period between 1717 and 1725, when he fre-quented a number of European capitals(though he seems to have come back tothe Ospedale on occasion). At the end of 1717, Vivaldi moved toMantua, taking up the post of Maestro diCappella at the court of Landgrave Philipof Hesse-Darmstadt, moving on to Milanand Rome and eventually returning to Venice in 1725, where he staged newoperas for the Teatro Sant’ Angelo. Whilein Mantua, he had made the acquain-tance of the singer Anna Giraud, and shehad moved in to live with him. Vivaldimaintained that she was only a house-keeper and good friend, just like Anna’ssister, Paolina, who also shared hishouse. Whatever their relationship,
The organ loft at the Ospedale della Pietà, where the musicians performed behind a screen.
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Girls Who Played With Fire
Here is an article, just published I wrote for Early Music America about Vivaldi, his work at the Ospedale della Pieta, the music he wrote for his all-female choir and orchestra, and the work by Matthias…
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