The Instrumentalist

A dazzling historical debut set in eighteenth-century Venice, about the woman written out of the story of one of history's greatest musical masterpieces

Anna Maria may have no name, no fortune, no family. But she has her ambition, and her talent.

Her best hope lies in her teacher, Antonio Vivaldi. Soon she is his star pupil.

But as Anna Maria's star rises, not everyone is happy. Because Anna Maria's shining light is threatening to eclipse that of her mentor.

She will leave her mark, whatever it takes. And her story will be heard.

Review

Enthralling, passionate, vivid. The Instrumentalist is a marvel -- KIRAN MILLWOOD HARGRAVE, author of The Heresies and The Dance Tree

A compassionate coming-of-age tale, inspired by true events, explores youthful ambition and the allure of fame . Constable understands the power music has to sustain us . Compelling, vividly described, magic ― OBSERVER

An engrossing tale about an unexpected coup de musique, and a vivid and nuanced portrait of a groundbreaking woman . Constable fills in the gaps, giving this remarkable figure the kind of origin story that has rarely been afforded by history to female artists ― NEW YORK TIMES

Constable infuses historical fact with richly wrought fictional details, to investigate admiration and resentment, ego and legac ... While the book is steeped in time and place, it nonetheless sheds light on gender dynamics that will be all too familiar to readers today. ― i paper

This novel about music is fundamentally about silence; the myriad ways in which female authorship has been erased . a captivating narrative that's as tightly tuned as a thriller... A heartening tribute to a group of formidable women ― DAILY TELEGRAPH

Harriet Constable's impressive debut novel conjures up the tumultuous life of Venice in the early years of the 18th century in vivid detail . Constable succeeds in telling an absorbing story of musical rivalry and ambition, and rescuing an unjustly forgotten woman of genius from history's dustbin ― SUNDAY TIMES, Best historical fiction

A whirlwind of all-consuming, dizzying ambition. The true story of her battle to realise her extraordinary talent is spectacularly imagined - historical fiction as it should be written ― MAIL ON SUNDAY

Haunting, lyrical and so passionately rendered, The Instrumentalist is a virtuoso performance. Constable's evocation of Vivaldi's Venice and the lost - until now - life of Anna Maria della Pietà had me spellbound from start to finish. This is a remarkable story of strength and survival, talent and ambition, and the searing power of music to keep a heart beating. Wonderful -- EMMA STONEX

About the Author

Harriet Constable is a journalist, filmmaker and author based in London. Her journalism and documentary work has featured in outlets including the New York Times, BBC, Guardian, The Times, Financial Times, NPR, and the Economist. She is a graduate of Columbia University's School of Journalism summer school and is a Pulitzer Center grantee and a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.