spedale della Pietà situated on the Riva degli Schiavoni was an Venetian orphanage for female children which offered musical training during the Baroque period, producing extremely well-trained female musicians, whose talents were recognized throughout Europe (Arnold, 1965; Berggren, 2008; Eanes, 2009; Selfridge-Field, 1975). This paper will investigate the socio-political environment as well as the cultural-artistic context of the Ospedale della Pietà , focusing on its development during the baroque period. In order to do so, three key points will be addressed; the Ospedale and the performers; the musical development of the Pietà ; and finally the cultural and political environment of the Ospedale. Overall, this paper will argue that the Ospedale della Pietà was a significant figure in the development of baroque music, it not only positively changed European societies' view on female performers, but also served as a model in the development of modern conservatories.
First established in 1346 by a Franciscan Friar, the Ospedale della Pietà was lead by wealthy governors and forty board members with the goal of properly raising abandoned children in Venice during the Baroque period (Edwards, 2010; Selfridge-Field, 1986). Evidence indicates that as a religious institution, choral singing was made mandatory for all Pietà orphans (Arnold, 1965; Kolneder, 1970), suggesting that music already existed in the Ospedale before transforming into a music school in the Baroque period. Arnold (2009), Berdes (1993) and Selfridge-Field (1975) all maintain that since the early 1600s, further musical training such as theory, instrumental and solo-singing lesson became available as governors began purchasing instrumentals and hiring external musicians from the Basilica San Marco. The wide variety of instruments in the inventory of the Pietà suggests that music became a main focus for the Pieta (Heller, 1997; Kolneder, 1970).
