Chiara della Pietà (1718–1791), was an Italian violinist, soloist and teacher based in the Venetian orphanage Ospedale della Pietà.

Biography

Chiara was deposited as a 2 month old to the

Ospedale della Pietà The Ospedale della Pietà was a convent, orphanage, and music school in Venice. Like other Venetian ''ospedali'', the Pietà was first established as a hospice for the needy. A group of Venetian nuns, called the Consorelle di Santa Maria dell’Um ...

in Venice in 1718. She was called Chiara and Chiaretta, though like her teacher

Anna Maria della Pietà Anna Maria della Pietà (c.1696 – 10 August 1782), was an Italian violinist, composer and teacher based in the Venetian orphanage Ospedale della Pietà. Biography Her exact date of birth is unknown because Anna Maria was an orphan at the Os ...

she was later known as ''Chiara dal Violin'' or ''Chiara della Pietà''. Though she was not as talented as her teacher, she was considered a violin virtuoso. She documented the various compositions which were written for her, some of which were written by

Antonio Vivaldi Antonio Lucio Vivaldi (4 March 1678 – 28 July 1741) was an Italian composer, virtuoso violinist, impresario of Baroque music and Roman Catholic priest. Regarded as one of the greatest Baroque composers, Vivaldi's influence during his lif ...

, in a book known as her diary. Other compositions were by Antonio Martinelli. Chiara sang, played the organ and the viola d’amore. She remained at the orphanage her whole life, playing and teaching there.

References and sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:della Pieta, Chiara 1718 births 1791 deaths Italian women musicians Italian classical violinists Italian music educators Italian women music educators 18th-century Venetian women Italian women classical violinists 18th-century Italian women musicians 18th-century Italian violinists Musicians from Venice 18th-century Italian educators 18th-century Italian women educators Musicians from the Republic of Venice