Music, intoxication, and betrayal combine in this “immersive, impassioned” (The Guardian) debut novel inspired by the true story of Anna Maria della Pietà, a Venetian orphan and violin prodigy who studied under Antonio Vivaldi and ultimately became his star musician—and his biggest muse.

“The Instrumentalist is more than a history lesson—with this novel, Constable has crafted an engrossing tale about an unexpected coup de musique.” —The New York Times

Anna Maria della Pietà was destined to drown in one of Venice’s canals. Instead, she became the greatest violinist of the 18th century.

Anna Maria has only known life inside the Pietà, an orphanage for children born of prostitutes. But the girls of the Pietà are lucky in a sense: most babies born of their station were drowned in the city’s canals. And despite the strict rules, the girls are given singing and music lessons from an early age. The most promising musicians have the chance to escape the fate of the rest: forced marriage to anyone who will have them.

Anna Maria is determined to be the best violinist there is—and whatever Anna Maria sets out to do, she achieves. After all, the stakes for Anna could not be higher. But it is 1704 and she is a girl. The pursuit of her ambition will test everything she holds dear, especially when it becomes clear that her instructor, Antonio Vivaldi, will teach Anna everything he knows—but not without taking something in return.

From the opulent palaces of Venice to its mud-licked canals, The Instrumentalist is a “searing portrait of ambition and betrayal” (Elizabeth MacNeal, author of The Doll Factory). It is the story of one woman’s irrepressible ambition and rise to the top. It is also the story of the orphans of Venice who overcame destitution and abuse to make music, and whose contributions to some of the most important works of classical music, including “The Four Seasons,” have been overlooked for too long.

For fans of The Queen’s Gambit and Fingersmith, The Instrumentalist is an “enthralling, passionate, vivid” (Kiran Millwood Hargrave, author of The Mercies) exploration of art and ambition, genius and exploitation, and loss and triumph.

About The Author

Photograph by Sophie Davidson

Harriet Constable

Harriet Constable is an award-winning journalist and filmmaker living in London. She has written for The New York Times, The Economist, and the BBC, and is a grantee of the Pulitzer Center and a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. She grew up playing the flute and piano and singing with her mother, a classically trained pianist and singer. The Instrumentalist is her debut novel.

Product Details

Publisher: Simon & Schuster (August 20, 2024)
Length: 336 pages
ISBN13: 9781668035825

Raves and Reviews

One of BBC's Most Anticipated Books of 2024
One of the Guardian’s/Observer's New Review’s Ten Best New Novelists for 2024

“Constable paints a vivid and nuanced portrait of the groundbreaking 18th-century violinist and conductor Anna Maria della Pietà.... With THE INSTRUMENTALIST, Constable fills in the gaps, giving this remarkable figure the kind of nuanced origin story that has rarely been afforded by history to female artists.... THE INSTRUMENTALIST is more than a history lesson — with this novel, Constable has crafted an engrossing tale about an unexpected coup de musique.” –New York Times

“Constable’s shrewdest move is to imagine Anna Maria as a synesthete who experiences sound and color together. . . One piece that sparks “the multicolor of Anna Maria’s mind” is the “Devil’s Trill,” a violin sonata of extraordinary technical difficulty that its composer, Giuseppe Tartini, said he wrote after dreaming he had made a pact with the devil for his soul. Alive to both the glories and cruelties of creating immortal music, “The Instrumentalist” is a vivid evocation of this Faustian bargain.” –The Wall Street Journal

“How to balance ego and ambition with community and kindness? Harriet Constable gives voice to violin prodigy Anna Maria della Pietà, a real-life musical genius raised in a Venetian orphanage in 1704 and taught by none other than composer Antonio Vivaldi. The city’s shimmering wealth and fetid corruption leap from the page; so, too, does music’s transcendent, radiant power.” –The Christian Science Monitor

“An immersive, impassioned tale full of color and sound that depicts Anna Maria as a driven prodigy whose talent will empower and imperil her.”—The Guardian/Observer

“Mellifluous…. Constable richly portrays the city’s opulence and its seedy underside, and she charms in her portrayal of her fiery young protagonist. This will appeal to fans of historicals with strong female leads.”—Publishers Weekly

“The Instrumentalist is a marvel, a story rich in texture and detail. Harriet Constable has taken a character and truly breathed life into her. . . It is a captivating story of a woman with dreams and hopes at a time when there was little for a poor orphan to hope for. Anna Maria is a protagonist you will not soon forget.” –The New York Journal of Books

“An absorbing story of musical rivalry and ambition.” –SUNDAY TIMES, Best historical fiction

“Historical fiction as it should be written.” –MAIL ON SUNDAY

“A captivating narrative as tightly tuned as a thriller.” –DAILY TELEGRAPH

“Constable's compelling book - while imaginative in bringing to life its characters - holds to her background as a journalist, frequently yanking the reader back into the brutal realities of 18th century life.”—Violinist.com

“Most people recognize the name Antonio Vivaldi, less is known about violin virtuoso Anna Maria della Pieta, the musician behind Vivaldi’s more famous works. In this work. . . Constable imagines what led Anna Marie down that path. . . The early part of the novel focuses on Anna Marie’s feelings while she plays music, such as her ability to see colors and hear sounds—synesthesia—which gives life and color to the story.” –STL Today

“Enthralling, passionate, vivid. The Instrumentalist is a marvel.” –KIRAN MILLWOOD HARGRAVE, author of The Mercies

“I was swept away by this searing portrait of ambition and betrayal. Occasionally a book arrives which not only moves but performs a vital function: and The Instrumentalist restores Anna Maria's name as she deserves, removing her from the forgotten annals of history.” –ELIZABETH MACNEAL, author of the Sunday Times-bestselling The Doll Factory

“A fascinating story of music, ambition, and womanhood in eighteenth-century Venice ... In The Instrumentalist, the Venetian Republic is a character in its own right, amid the glory and decadence of its final century.” –CHARMAINE WILKERSON, author of the New York Times-bestselling Black Cake

“With a heroine at once so very fierce and yet so vulnerable, The Instrumentalist is an insightful study of female talent and ambition – and how easily they can be hi-jacked or undermined by men.” –ANNIE GARTHWAITE, author of Cecily

“An epic novel set in eighteenth-century Venice and based on the real life of Anna Maria della Pietà … She's since been written out of history. Until now.” –BBC, Book releases 2024

“A stunning story written in prose as vibrant as the music it depicts. The Instrumentalist is a beautiful tale of resilience and survival in the face of impossible odds, and brings a much needed voice to a lost part of musical history.” –ISABELLE SCHULER, author of Lady MacBethad