ABSTRACT
Shedding light on Andriana della Tiorba, one of the many figlie del coro of the Ospedale della Pietà in Venice, this chapter reveals a fascinating musician whose art, although ephemeral, left traces in the rules and practices to which she was subjected in her career. Performing behind the grillwork of the Pietà, later sent to prison for “scandalous” behavior, subsequently hired by the Monasterio San Girolamo in Serravalle, she eventually had to escape from Serravalle to return to the Pietà. Andriana’s network of everyday musicians shows the strength of music as a creative power: adored by some, threatening to others.
