The schools’ academic costs were heavily subsidized by the proceeds of regular Sunday concerts by the Ospedale’s orchestra and choir, usually but not always performing behind screens to protect the girls’ modesty. The standards of music education at Vivaldi’s school were particularly high. The girls, on the other hand, were cloistered like nuns and trained in music mainly as a way of attracting eligible young men for marriage. The boys were apprenticed out to Venetian merchants and tradesmen to prepare them to become self-supporting. The schools were attached to hospitals or charitable hostels, and their students were educated and maintained mainly at the state’s expense. Vivaldi spent 37 years as the director of music at the Ospedale della Pieta, one of four schools in Venice for illegitimate, orphaned and deserted youngsters.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |