Giorgio Massari

Massari was the leading Venetian architect of the eighteenth century, working in a lighter classicism than the baroque he inherited. Born in Venice in 1687, he often took over buildings begun by Baldassarre Longhena, completing Ca' Rezzonico on the Grand Canal after Longhena's death.

His own churches — the Gesuati on the Zattere and the Pietà, the church of the orphanage where Vivaldi taught — are notable for how carefully they handle sound and light. The Pietà was designed with its musical use in mind, with an oval plan and galleries for the girls' choir.

He died in 1766.