The Instrumentalist

All over Venice, workers begin their long, difficult days. They labor over delicate lace shawls, fruit, animals as they are prepped for slaughter, and all of the other products that are bought and sold in the city, often by people with far greater wealth than they will see in their own lifetimes. The city is not particularly kind to its laborers. A woman walks with her daughter to the market and stops momentarily as they pass the Pietà. They hear her first, and then they see her: A legend already at only 17, Anna Maria della Pietà practices near her open window.

Vivaldi is away on business, and Anna Maria is able to devote more time to practicing and to composing. When he returns, he produces a piece of music he has written just for Anna Maria. She loves it and feels an even stronger connection to him. Even as he advises her to maintain distance between herself and the other girls of the orchestra, she is sure that he has her best interests at heart. Still, she does preserve some small connection to Paulina, whom she still considers a sister, and