Santa (also known as Sanza or Samaritana) della Pietà (''fl. ca.'' 1725 – ''ca.'' 1750, died after 1774) was an Italian singer,

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

, and

violin The violin, sometimes referred to as a fiddle, is a wooden chordophone, and is the smallest, and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in regular use in the violin family. Smaller violin-type instruments exist, including the violino picc ...

ist. She grew up as a foundling in the Ospedale della Pietà, where she received a full musical education. She studied violin with Anna Maria della Pietà, and succeeded her as director of the school

orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * String instruments, such as the violin, viola, cello, ...

around 1740. She is known to have performed at least six of the violin concertos composed for Anna Maria della Pietà by

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 ...

Life

A foundling admitted in infancy to the Ospedale della Pietà, della Pietà received a full grounding in music from early childhood at the ''coro'', or music school, attached to the convent. She is known to have been a

contralto A contralto () is a classical music, classical female singing human voice, voice whose vocal range is the lowest of their voice type, voice types. The contralto's vocal range is fairly rare, similar to the mezzo-soprano, and almost identical to ...

soloist, violinist, and composer during the tenures of

Giovanni Porta Giovanni Porta (c. 1675 – 21 June 1755) was an Italian opera composer. His opera '' Argippo'', to a libretto by Domenico Lalli, was premiered in Venice in 1717.Freeman, Daniel E. (1992)''The Opera Theater of Count Franz Anton Von Sporck ...

Nicola Porpora Nicola (or Niccolò) Antonio Giacinto Porpora (17 August 16863 March 1768) was an Italian composer and teacher of singing of the Baroque era, whose most famous singing students were the castrati Farinelli and Caffarelli. Other students include ...

, and

Andrea Bernasconi Andrea Bernasconi (c. 1706 – 24 January 1784) was an Italian composer. He began his career in his native country as a composer of operas. In 1755 he was appointed to the post of ''Kapellmeister'' at the Bavarian court in Munich where he ...

as heads of the school. She is also known to have studied violin with Anna Maria della Pietà (also named ″ Anna Maria dal violin″) and to have succeeded her as director of the school

around 1740; at this time she performed at least six of the

concerto A concerto (; plural ''concertos'', or ''concerti'' from the Italian plural) is, from the late Baroque era, mostly understood as an instrumental composition, written for one or more soloists accompanied by an orchestra or other ensemble. The ...

s 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 ...

for Anna Maria. One piece by Santa, a setting of the

Vespers Vespers /ˈvɛspərz/ () is a Christian liturgy, liturgy of evening prayer, one of the canonical hours in Catholic (both Latin liturgical rites, Latin and Eastern Catholic liturgy, Eastern Catholic liturgical rites), Eastern Orthodox, Oriental O ...

Psalm 113 in D, survives. Along with Agata and Michielina della Pietà, della Pietà was one of three foundlings resident at the Ospedale to become a composer later in life. Nothing further is known about her.

References

Italian Baroque composers Italian women classical composers 18th-century Venetian women 18th-century Italian composers Year of birth uncertain Year of death uncertain Italian women classical violinists Italian classical violinists 18th-century Italian violinists 18th-century Italian women composers Musicians from Venice {{Authority control