Chapter Two
By the time Marietta had been three years at the Pietà, her earlier life had faded to poignant memories. It could not be said that she had really settled into the aspedale, although the joy of singing and having her voice trained had given her a dedicated outlook. She discussed her feelings with her friend, Elena Baccini, on the morning they were to be auditioned by the Maestro di Coro for possible inclusion in the Pietà’s premier choir. Until then they had both been in a secondary choir, which meant that they had sung only behind grilles during services at the adjoining church of Santa Maria della Pietà, and then only when the premier choir was singing at the Basilica, the vast edifice that was the Doge’s own chapel, or in the cathedral.
aspedale“I wish I weren’t so nervous,
