Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

This book opens a door long closed on an important era in the history of Venice. It presents, for the first time, an introductory, contextual study of three centuries of musical activity at the four major eleemosynary foundations of the former Republic of Venice: the ospedali grandi. It provides a comprehensive account of the institutional, social, religious, and civic dimensions of these welfare complexes, with particular reference to their musical subsidiaries, or cori. Involving over 300 external professional male composers and music teachers and over 800 internal professional women musicians, the history of the cori also incorporates a vast repertory of over 4,000 original works - sacred and secular, vocal and instrumental, solo and choral - little know today but recognized as key elements in the historical evolution of musical genres. Responsible for this phenomenon through their association with the ospedali and the figlie del coro were such figures as Lotti, Legrenzi, Vivaldi, Hasse, Galuppi, and Cimarosa, to name but six. It is their relationship to the ospedali and the concert series in the churches and music salons annexed to them that Dr Berdes explores. In the process she proves the significance of the cori as reflectors of a range of cross-disciplinary scholarship from the history of art and architecture to the history of culture and social policy, as well as medical care and aspects of women's, children's, and Venetian studies. Amassing a wealth of information from primary sources, this book constitutes a repository of information and references for a multitude of new investigations. Above all, it will facilitate rediscovery, performance, and analysis of the repertoire commissioned for, and first performed by, the women musicians of the cori, a repertoire of unique richness which may be seen as the mirror of a lost Venetian civilization.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• Acknowledgements (p. vi)
• Abbreviations (p. x)
• About The Cori (p. xiv)
• Introduction (p. 1)
• Part 1 Venice (p. 7)
• 1 City of Man (p. 9)
• 2 City of God (p. 19)
• 3 La Sede Di Musica (p. 30)
• Part 2 The ospedali grandi (p. 43)
• 4 The Early History of the Ospedali (p. 45)
• 5 The Organization of the Four Ospedali (p. 64)
• 6 The Cori of the Ospedali (p. 100)
• Part 3 Musicians at the ospedali grandi (p. 175)
• 7 External Musicians: Maestri And Composers (p. 177)
• 8 Internal Musicians: Figlie Del Coro (p. 235)
• 9 Conclusions and Speculations (p. 244)
• Bibliography (p. 253)
• Appendix I (p. 299)
• Index (p. 309)

Reviews provided by Syndetics

CHOICE Review

Far from being the quasi-orphanages described in writings about Vivaldi's violin concertos, the Venetian ospedali grandi were for over 350 years musical institutions of wealth and grandeur where patrons supported more than 300 external masters to teach more than 850 women the skills required of virtuosity. The works written for the cori or musicians of the ospedali, still uncataloged, number more than 4,000. The ecclesiastical independence of Venice from Rome allowed these grand charitable enterprises to permit females to become church musicians, and students ranging from orphans to such famous performers as Faustina Bordoni took advantage of the opportunity to receive the best training from European musicians of several countries. Although Venice itself has long been considered a center for the other arts, knowledge of music has been centered at San Marco. Baldauf-Berdes has opened a whole new and exciting area for research. Her extensive bibliography should provide the incentive for revelations about the history of women in Italian music and for the publication of "new" Venetian music. A major contribution to women's studies and to the history of music. Highly recommended to advanced undergraduate and graduate collections. J. P. Ambrose; University of Vermont

Author notes provided by Syndetics

Jane L. Baldauf-Berdes is at University of Wisconsin.