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.
Reviews
`It is full of admirable scholarship and it seeks to document the incredible musical culture which was centred on four great hospitals in Venice.' BBC Music
`almost exclusively an archival study, but an extremely important one ... thorough book' Early Music News
`It is full of admirable scholarship and it seeks to document the incredible musical culture which was centred on four great hospitals in Venice ... fascinating book.' BBC Music Magazine
`This is a major scholarly study which also tells an enthralling story of hidden lives, brilliant careers, and striking social reversals. Berdes offers an immense body of information, and conveys it clearly. The Musical Times, September 1993
'Dr Berdes ... presents a broad sweep from the early evidence of music in the Ospedali to their decline after the Napoleonic invasion and into the mid-nineteenth century. Clearly there are more stories to tell, but we should thank Dr Berdes for having opened the way.' Times Literary Supplement
'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, Choice, Dec '93
'Berdes's research will remain an important point of departure for further studies of these performers in the eighteenth century.' Robert L. Kendrick, Music and Letters, Vol. 75, No. 2, May 1994
'The bibliography ... is a valuable source of reference ... the late Jane Berdes's legacy holds many fascinating clues. She was a generous and active correspondent with a passion for collecting data ... her work offers unlimited potential for interdisciplinary studies.' Faun Tanenbaum Tiedge, Notes, December 1995
This book contains an enormous amount of information unreported elsewhere ... Those whose historical interests intersect any of it's main themes will find a wealth of detail and bibliographical references to primary source material. Today's scholars will undoubtedly benefit from the existence of her work, and all students of things Venetian will want to trace the rich tapestry of documentation found here. * Eleanor Selfridge-Field, Stanford University, Sixteenth Century Journal XXVII/2 (1996) *



Book Information
ISBN 9780198166047
Author Jane L. Baldauf-Berdes
Format Paperback
Page Count 329
Imprint Oxford University Press
Publisher Oxford University Press
Weight(grams) 504g
Dimensions(mm) 231mm * 155mm * 18mm