Vivaldi's Muse CONTINUED

Book Description

VIVALDI'S MUSE is an award-winning historical novel based on over a decade of ground-breaking research by music historian/author Sarah Bruce Kelly. The story reveals the truth about the intriguing and mysterious relationship of priest/composer Antonio Vivaldi and his famous "Muse" Anna Girò.

Summary by Sarah Bruce Kelly:

Set in early 18^th-century Venice, Vivaldi’s Muse explores the life of Anna “Annina” Girò, Antonio Vivaldi’s longtime protégée. Annina first falls under the spell of the fiery and intriguing prete rosso (red-haired priest) at a young age, when Vivaldi is resident composer at the court of Mantua, her hometown. Stifled by the problems of her dysfunctional family, she has long dreamed of pursuing operatic stardom, and her attraction to the enchanting Venetian maestro soon becomes inseparable from that dream.
She eventually joins him in Venice, but her road to theatrical success is rife with obstacles such as malicious rival singers, disparaging impresarios, and unscrupulous noble patrons. Rumors about the nature of Annina's relationship with her beloved mentor, Vivaldi, abound and lead to dire problems yet, ironically, draw them closer together. But her growing guilt about her secret longing for him, complicated by her inherent fears of rejection and abandonment, threaten to poison their relationship from within. In the end she discovers that their love for each other has grown into something that transcends their personal relationship¾ and she finds true love when she least expects it.

About the Author

Sarah Bruce Kelly is a professional musician and scholar of music history. She holds Masters degrees in Liberal Arts and Music and is the author of two previous historical novels: The Red Priest’s Annina and Jazz Girl. She lives on the South Carolina Coast with her husband, Frank, and teaches Latin, Italian and Fine Arts at a private school and local university.

Visit with Sarah at http://www.belcantopress.com.