a continuing tradition of musical excellence for women in Venice. The Ospedali reached their pinnacle between 1720-80: the musical ensembles grew in number, and the governors hired even more instrumental teachers and composers. By the middle of the eighteenth century, the Ospedali Grandi had mostly moved away from having older figlie del coro teach beginning students. Instead, they adopted the master and pupil system of education: master teachers, who already held successful reputations, composed for the Ospedali and trained the figlie. Hiring the most famous composers became essential to attracting larger and wealthier audiences. A few special visitors also gained permission from the governors to view and listen to the women perform behind the grates. Due to the financial instability in Venice at the end of the eighteenth century, however, the Ospedali fell into bankruptcy. The Derelitti closed in 1791, followed by the Medicanti in 1795. After Napoleon’s invasion of Venice in 1797, all musical activities at the Ospedali were reduced. The Incurabili closed in 1805, leaving only the Pietà’s musical activity to survive Napoleon’s government takeover. The Pietà’s last known musical composition was performed in 1840. Composers and Teachers Giovanni Rovetta (1596-1668) Giovanni Legrenzi (1626-1690) Carlo Grossi (1634-1688) Giovanni Domenico Partenio (before 1650-1701) Carlo Francesco Pollarolo (c. 1653-1723) Francesco Gasparini (1661-1727) Antonio Lotti (1667-1740) Giovanni Porta (c. 1675-1755) Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741) Nicola Porpora (1686-1768) Johann Adolf Hasse (1699-1783) Andrea Bernasconi (1706-1784) Baldassare Galuppi (1706-1785) Gaetano Latilla (1711-1788) Niccolò Jommelli (1714-1774) Ferdinando Bertoni (1725-1813) Tommaso Traetta (1727-1779) Pasquale Anfossi (1727-1797) Bonaventura Furlanetto (1738-1817) Domenico Cimarosa (1749-1801) Sources Arnold, Denis. “Music at the Ospedali.” Journal of the Royal Musical Association 113, no. 2 (1988). Berdes, Jane L. Women Musicians of Venice: Musical Foundations 1525-1855. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1993. Berdes, Jane L. and Joan Whittemore. Guide to Ospedali Research. New York: Pendragon Press, 2012. Gillio, Pier Giuseppe. L'Attività musicale negli Ospedali di Venezia nel Settecento. Florence: Olschki, 2006. Giron-Panel, Caroline. Musique et musiciennes à Venise : histoire sociale des ospedali. Rome: École française de Rome, 2015. Selfridge-Field, Eleanor. Venetian Instrumental Music from Gabrieli to Vivaldi. New York: Courier Dover Publications, 1994. Tonelli, Vanessa. "Le Figlie di Coro: Women's Musical Education and Performance at the Venetian Ospedali Maggiori, 1660-1740." PhD Dissertation. Northwestern University, 2022. Tonelli, Vanessa. "Women and Music in the Venetian Ospedali." Master's Thesis. Michigan State University, 2013. References Music schools in Italy