Santa della Pietà facts for kids
Santa (also known as Sanza or Samaritana) della Pietà was a talented Italian singer, composer, and violinist. She lived from around 1725 to 1750, and she died sometime after 1774.
Santa della Pietà was a foundling, meaning she was a child who had been abandoned and then taken in by an institution. She was admitted as a baby to the Ospedale della Pietà in Venice, Italy. This was a special orphanage for girls that was famous for its amazing music school, called the coro. Santa learned music from a very young age at this school.
A Talented Musician
Santa della Pietà became a skilled contralto singer, which is a type of deep female voice. She was also a fantastic violinist and a composer. She worked at the Ospedale della Pietà when famous musicians like Giovanni Porta, Nicola Porpora, and Andrea Bernasconi were in charge of the music school.
She studied the violin with another famous musician from the Ospedale, Anna Maria della Pietà, who was also known as "Anna Maria dal violin." Around 1740, Santa della Pietà took over from Anna Maria as the director of the school's orchestra. During this time, she performed at least six concertos written by the famous composer Antonio Vivaldi. Vivaldi had originally written these pieces for Anna Maria.
Her Compositions
Only one piece of music written by Santa della Pietà is still known today. It is a setting of Psalm 113 from the Vespers, which is a type of evening prayer service.
Santa della Pietà was one of three foundling girls from the Ospedale della Pietà who grew up to become composers. The other two were Agata della Pietà and Michielina della Pietà. We don't know much more about Santa della Pietà's life after her time at the Ospedale.
