Ospedaletto: View of the Music Room

The Ospedaletto is the smallest of the four large hospitals that were built by the venetian government in the sixteenth century to care for the poor and the ill, who converged on the city in great numbers, seeking shelter from famine, war, and recurring plague. It was originally a simple, temporary wooden structure, but over time it was transformed into a grand building with its own church designed by Palladio and completed by Longhena. The restoration, renovation and expansion of the hospital continued in the eighteenth century, and the last project was the creation of the Music Room in 1777 by Francesco Patron.

The Music Room was built over the kitchens of the old hospital for music schools that entertained important guests. The Ospedaletto became famous for its choral group made up of the young orphan girls educated at the institute. The young girls sang in public concerts and in doing so hoped to win a rich husband.

Jacopo Guarana was entrusted with the decoration of the Music Room. The elegant trompe-l’oeil architecture that serves as a setting for Guarana’s scenes was created by Agostino Mengozzi Colonna, son of the renowned quadraturist Girolamo Mengozzi Colonna. The decoration of the space is divided into two parts, one dedicated to the world of allegories, the other to the real world. The ceiling contains a representation of the triumph of Music, while the back wall celebrates the true protagonists, the young women (or putte), who played music in the room every day.

Suggested listening (streaming mp3, 19 minutes):

Francesco Maria Veracini: Suite in F Major