The Instrumentalist by Harriet Constable is a piece of historical fiction that allows us to vision Vienna in the 1700s. The main characters are also real people, Antonio Vivaldi and Anna Marie della Pieta. The Ospedale della Pieta is an orphanage where there is a small place to put a female newborn into and leave for the Sisters to raise.
At the orphanage, little girls are taught and trained to become wives. Those girls who have special talents in the area of music are given special treatment with food, clothing and music lessons. Anna Marie excelled in music. Her instrument was the violin and she learned to play it with great strength and skills. The music teacher was Antonia Vivaldi. He was beginning to become famous with his compositions. It is with the help of Anna Marie that his compositions begin to catch attention. Soon the Pieta is holding huge events allowing the students to earn money and gifts with Vivaldi pulling in the majority of goods. Anna Marie felt that in order to grow and become really famous and produce music she needed to be singular and hard hearted. Her pushing herself and pushing away others was really hard to read and understand.
The book is well written and engrossing, however, it is important that you leave reality to the side for some of this book. In the 18th century, women did not demand or expect to rise to a level of conductor. Giving Anna Marie too much power at the end bothered me. I also think that some of the descriptions of music with the feelings and flying over the city (that she rarely if ever saw) was also over the top.
On the other hand, I absolutely believe that people have synesthesia and hear colors or see music as a movie scene. Certainly Anna Marie could certainly have it and seeing music as sounds and colors obviously would have helped her grow to a major musician and composer. According to history, Anna Marie della Pieta was a violin virtuoso. Her performances drew many people to the Pieta and she collected a following. Her real call to fame according to some is not just Vivaldi and his music but the students she taught.
To me the novel feels like a cross between historical fiction with some magical realism involved. I really enjoyed the novel and found the main characters and the description of the orphanage fascinating. The world of Venice with its glittering richness and poverty feels magical in itself. The Instrumentalist by Harriet Constable is a good read.
