A little known aspect of the life of the great Italian composer Antonio Vivaldi is being highlighted in the exhibition “I Violini di Vivaldi e le Figlie di Choro” (The Violins of Vivaldi and the Daughters of the Choir), recently opened in Cremona (Lombardia), world leader in the creation of unique and precious bowed string instruments, perfected by master craftsmen like Stradivari, Amati and Guarneri.
The exhibition features rare pieces from the Music Chapel collection of the Ospedale Santa Maria della Pietà (Hospital of St. Mary of Pity) in Venice, an illuminated orphanage for abandoned baby girls founded in 1346 and unique in Europe. Antonio Vivaldi, known as the “Red Priest”, thanks to his fiery-coloured locks, was Concert Master at the Ospedale from 1703 to 1740, where he personally undertook the musical education of the “putte” (young girls) so that they would be able to earn their living as musicians when they left the orphanage. Several of the violins, violas and violoncellos on show come from the collection of over fifty instruments chosen personally by Maestro Vivaldi for his pupils, who were known as the Figlie di Choro (Daughters of the Choir). The girls performed in the adjacent Church of Santa Maria della Pietà, hidden behind a grill to protect them from the eventual evil intentions of pimps and libertines.
The exhibition marks the reopening of the Violin Museum of Cremona after the long Covid epidemic lockdown and gives music lovers the opportunity to see early versions of bow and string instruments of the Venetian and German schools and their subsequent development.
The Hospital of Santa Maria della Pietà continues to function after eight centuries and is considered part of the cultural heritage of Venice. It is now a recognized charitable institution supported by the Veneto Regional government, offering help and support to mothers and children in difficult situations, irrespective of race or religion.
The exhibition is scheduled to run until the 1st August 2021 at the Violin Museum, Cremona.
M Stenhouse
Info: Tel. +39.0372080809 www.museodelviolino.org www.pietavenezia.org