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1695: The story of Anna Maria della Pieta – Vivaldi’s star pupil
The Instrumentalist
What you need to know before your trail
Anna Maria may have no name, no fortune, no family. But she has her ambition, and her talent.
Her best hope lies in her teacher, Antonio Vivaldi. Soon she is his star pupil.
But as Anna Maria’s star rises, not everyone is happy. Because Anna Maria’s shining light is threatening to eclipse that of her mentor.
She will leave her mark, whatever it takes. And her story will be heard.
Locations
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1600s Venice
Venice and the music of the 1600s just leaps off the page. There’s the colourful music halls and the dark and dank streets to provide the contrast like the black and white of a painting…light and shadows.
I think any reader will appreciate the way the author has written such luscious descriptions but to those of us who share traits of seeing words as colours or shapes, this is literally music to our ears:
‘The girl had notes before she had words, and those notes have always had colours’. Anna Maria experiences musical notes and melodies in the form of colours. Even the sounds of everyday life in early 18th century Venice – the songs of gondoliers, the cries of street traders, the chiming of church bells – are a kaleidoscopic symphony. ‘Tones and hues float up, high above the city, hanging like notes on a stave, matching the sounds below.’
BookTrail Boarding Pass: The Instrumentalist
Destination/Location: Venice Author: Harriet Constable Departure: 1690s onwards
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