Vivaldi's Virgins: A Novel

by Barbara Quick

Book Overview

Abandoned as an infant, fourteen-year-old Anna Maria dal Violin is one of the elite musicians living in the foundling home where the "Red Priest," Antonio Vivaldi, is maestro and composer. Fiercely... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060890533
• Release Date: July 2008
• Publisher: Harper Perennial
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.0" x 0.7" x 5.3"

Customer Reviews

Delightful reading

"Vivaldi's Virgins" imagines the life of the Red Priest's most famous student at the Pieta, Anna Maria dal Violin. Quick's beautiful prose and the story's largely epistolary style lend an old-world elegance to this novel that does not seem at all contrived. One can't help get swept up in Anna Maria's emotional journey, which climaxes with an astonishing revelation about her beloved Sister Laura. (The parallel revelation about Vivaldi and Anna Giro does not, I must say, seem as convincing.) This delightful novel, however, is about Anna Maria, who inspired Vivaldi to write some of his most brilliant concertos for violin and viola d'amore. For an excellent recording of some of these, listen to "Six Violin Concertos for Anna Maria:Vivaldi: Six Violin Concertos for Anna Maria [Hybrid SACD] Sarah Bruce Kelly Author of "The Red Priest's Annina"

Exquisite!

Orphaned from birth, Anna Maria grows up in the Ospedale della Pieta. At an early age, her aptitude for music is discovered and so begins her love affair with the violin. Composer and Maestro Antonio Vivaldi, also known as the Red Priest, encourages both her musical artistry as well as her wayward spirit. Anna Maria hopes to find her biological mother and in her journey, finds herself in this stirring historical tale. You don't have to be a fan of this period of history to appreciate VIVALDI'S VIRGINS. Barbara Quick's breathtaking prose immediately captivates as the voice of Anna Maria shines through. Seen through her eyes, Venetian society takes on a whole new outlook. From the various prejudices against the Jews to the restrictions against women to the sheer politics of the time, VIVALDI'S VIRGINS is an intimate portrait of a society in which music flourished. Barbara Quick's lilting prose paints a picture so exquisite that the ending comes far too quickly. In Anna Maria, Barbara Quick captures the spirit of every young woman longing to find her place in life. Her letters written to a mother she has never met are heart breaking in their intensity. At one point, I broke down in tears as Anna Maria's pain was almost unbearable; I feared her wild spirit would be broken, along with her search for her heritage. Thankfully, Barbara Quick ties this story together nicely, making it all the more enjoyable as the twists in the ending add a whole new perspective to an already wonderful story. VIVALDI'S VIRGINS is a fascinating tale, both for the beautiful prose as well as the glimpse at an often overlooked piece of history. The historical insights at the end are particularly helpful at showing where the author used a bit of judicious poetic license. Barbara Quick sets a high standard with VIVALDI'S VIRGINS, as her ability to evoke strong emotions makes this tale unforgettable. COURTESY OF CK2S KWIPS AND KRITIQUES

A Lyrical Story of Music....and So Much More!

As the story opens, Anna Maria dal Violin is writing the first of what would become many letters to the mother that left her as an infant at the Ospedale della Pieta. Sister Laura, one of the nuns at the Pieta suggested she write letters to her mother as a release of feelings that she held inside. Anna knew nothing about her mother or father, her family, or where she come from. At the age of 8, Anna Maria was brought before the famous "Red Priest" of Venice, Antonio Vivaldi, to play her violin. Aside from the Orphanage, there was also a revered music school, where Vivaldi was the maestro and composer. Vivaldi was so moved by her playing that Anna Maria was the youngest girl to ever be made one of the fourteen iniziate, an apprentice musician of the coro. It was a huge honor, and she immediately became one of Vivaldi's favorites. The story is told by Anna Maria, much later in life, as she reads through the letters she wrote to her mother. But the story is not just about music. It's about a girl trying to find out who she is and where she fits in the world she was placed in. Not only do we get a chance to understand a cloistered life, but we get a taste of world of Venice in the early 1700's. Because of Vivaldi's reputation as a composer and musician, the girls of the coro were given a chance to sneak out of the Pieta into the masquerades of the Venice society. It's a beautifully written tale, although it was less about Vivaldi than I originally thought it would be. Anna Maria was indeed a real person and a figlia di coro (daughter of the choir). Her tale is as heartbreaking as it is heart warming. It is a tale of love, friendship, and talent. And it well worth reading!!!

a beautiful novel full of music and longing

The Ospedale della Pieta in early 18th century Venice was a home for foundling girls, the most musical of whom were trained as orchestra members or singers. Strictly cloistered from the world, they performed for the cream of Venice in their church while remaining hidden from view. The adolescent girls, who long for knowledge of their parents, discover friendship, desperate crushes, young sensuality, and the depths of music. The great composer Vivaldi wrote some of his most gorgeous music for them and taught them and the portrait the author draws of him is vivid and unforgettable. Fourteen-year-old Anna Maria is his prize violin student. Encouraged by one of the nuns to write longing letters to the mother whose name she does not even know, she dares to break the strict rules to find her heritage and meet with a young man. As her three closest friends each in turn escape the sexless confines of the Ospedale where music is the only sensuality allowed, she too becomes more desperate and daring, riding out masked at night in a gondola for music and for love. The writing evokes Venice and the love of music and the longing of young girls so beautifully! I read some passages with tears in my eyes. At one point when music may be lost to Anna Maria forever, it was so poignant I had to put the book down a few times. Like a previous reviewer, I marked many passages to read again. Some sentences I had to reread several times before going on. They were truly music. I am the author of the Viking Penguin novel MARRYING MOZART.

Vivaldi's Virgins: The coming of age of Vivaldi's violinist

Vivaldi's Virgins is a coming of age story set in 18th century Venice utilizing and transforming a literary form popular during that era. As a violinist, the narrator allows the reader to experience the richness of Vivaldi's music from a perspective unavailable today to modern listeners. Barbara Quick presents a vivid image of 18th century Venice and Vivaldi through the eyes and life of the narrator Anna Maria. An orphan in the cloistered halls of the Ospedale della Pieta, Anna Maria dal Violin has been handpicked at an early age to join the elite musical group within the foundling home and be taught by the maestro Vivaldi. Although cloistered within the Pieta, the reader learns of Venice through those who come to visit the Pieta and through the tours and secret escapes of the curious girls. Barbara Quick's novel removes the masks so carefully worn by the upper strata of Venice society. Vivaldi is seen through the eyes of his students and musicians. Vivaldi's Virgins is a combination of first person narrative in which Anna Maria tells her life story and an epistolary novel 'a novel told through letters', a genre emerging in popularity during the 18th century. As a disciplinary measure, Sister Laura instructs Anna Maria to write to calm Anna Maria's growing passion. She writes letters to her unknown mother never knowing whether they will be read nor by whom. Anna Maria lies hidden and almost invisible, living behind a grille from the public. Barbara Quick's novel removes the grille and allows the reader to peer inside the life of this 18th century woman who cries out for her mother and makes Vivaldi's genius heard by his public. Anna Maria dal Violin is the body and the violin through which Vivaldi's music is heard. Images of the voice of the violin and the voice of a child's body maturing merge with the search for her mother and her prayers to the Virgin Mother. A special plot twist at the end will delight all readers. This novel will appeal to a wide range of readers: those craving something of literary beauty, Vivaldi and classical music lovers, women wanting to experience history through the eyes of the women who lived it but for whom history rarely relates their story, and anyone wanting to peek into the lesser known history of Venice or music. In the tradition of Dante Alighieri and his letters to Beatrice also written without certainty that they would ever be read by the intended reader, Barbara Quick cites this medieval reference, combining it with the 18th century epistolary novel and modernizes both. Although a reader need no knowledge of these literary traditions to enjoy this novel, the thoroughness of the author's research heightens the reading pleasure. The historical detail is well researched and the fictional imagination is breathtaking. The poetic language of each sentence is exquisite. Although I am a fast reader, I found myself reading slowly, creeping actually, but pausing on each page to savor its beauty and poetic prose.