{"id":19915,"date":"2019-10-30T08:06:20","date_gmt":"2019-10-30T15:06:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.heuermontage.com\/?p=19915"},"modified":"2019-10-30T08:06:26","modified_gmt":"2019-10-30T15:06:26","slug":"musical-citiesvenice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.heuermontage.com\/?p=19915","title":{"rendered":"Musical Cities:Venice"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Let’s mention Antonio Vivaldi – and then move on. Of all the musicians associated with Venice (where he was born and taught music many years at an orphanage) he is probably the most frequently broadcast. Honestly if I go to my grave without ever hearing the Four Seasons<\/em> again, I won’t complain. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Then again, I mentioned an orphanage – here is a report from 1739:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The transcendent music is that of the ospedali<\/em>. There are four of them, made up of illegitimate and orphaned girls and those whose parents are not in a position to raise them. They are brought up at the expense of the state and trained solely to excel in music. They sing like angels and play the violin, the flute, the organ, the oboe, the cello, and the bassoon\u2026They are cloistered like nuns\u2026about forty girls take part in each concert.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2014Charles de Brosses,
from Le Pr\u00e9sident de Brosses en Italie: Lettres famili\u00e8res<\/em>
\u00e9crites d\u2019Italie en 1739 et 1740 (1858)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Females played an enormous role in the musical development of the city, and not just the ones behind convent walls: the female madrigal singers and the prima donnas of the opera houses were also highly respected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

My wonderful source<\/a> in the Guardian has so many more interesting composers or musicians in store for this ravaged city (lately most of all by tourists and climate change) that I have a hard time making choices. Some music written there and some music written about La Serinissmia<\/em> as the city is also known, is simply ravishing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

There is Monteverdi, of course, and there is Cavalli, less known, and luckily there is a contemporary Venice Music <\/em>Project whose 9 musicians (with soprano Liesl Odenweller) bring the baroque music beautifully to life with periods instruments. Or they just make it up – based on old manuscripts and letters that they found. Listen for yourself:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n