The present chapter focuses on Neapolitan maestri/operisti who produced instrumental compositions at the end of the eighteenth century – with particular attention accorded to Giovanni Paisiello, Domenico Cimarosa, and Pietro Alessandro Guglielmi. The “three crowns” of late Neapolitan stage drama had traveled widely and composed instrumental music throughout the Italian peninsula and as far afield as London, Vienna, and St. Petersburg. Their unique status and the extant repertory of their instrumental music suggest an engaged, contemporary cultivation of genres in Naples, with their music being produced in diverse contexts. These ranged from the Neapolitan royal court and direct patronage by Maria Carolina and Ferdinand IV to noble, diplomatic, and mercantile sponsors. There is also a large body of related documentary evidence verifying the importance of instrumental music in these settings – including personal correspondence, archival materials, iconographic sources, organizations that programmed instrumental concerts, and the presence of local artisans devoted to instrumental design and production. Special attention is given to the role occupied by the sovereigns through their direct patronage. This sponsorship often occurred in the setting of court feste and celebrations within the different royal palaces of the kingdom.

One of the principal foundations for instrumental music culture in Naples was supplied by the educational system of the Neapolitan conservatories. Rather than a critical investigation of their (well-known) histories, this chapter elucidates an understanding of their cultural, social, and educational identities, forming a holistic portrait of these establishments. Several areas of operation are examined, including the institutional culture, the admission process, the financial operation (in brief terms), and the basic training of students, as well as particular reference to responsibilities and opportunities geared toward artistic formation.

The brief concluding epilogue provides a summary finding of evidence presented in prior chapters. Specific attention is placed on the concept of the Austro-German “review collective” and how it formed the basis for aesthetic criticism of Italian genres (vocal and instrumental) at this time. The lack of a contemporary critical framework for Italian instrumental music, comparable to Austro-German instrumental music, is also considered. Instead, the aesthetic outcomes stressed in the pedagogical methods of solfeggio and partimento are posited as valuable tools for creating a critical vocabulary for discussion of Italian instrumental genres.The Neapolitan social, political, and artistic contexts are likewise summarized to posit crucial relevant frameworks for the instrumental genres examined in the course of this study.

This chapter further investigates the role of Queen Maria Carolina within contemporary Neapolitan society, focusing on her interests in the visual arts and literature as crucial elements within her cultural agenda. The role of the Cappella Reale within the promotion and performance of instrumental music at the Neapolitan court is also investigated, particularly through archival documents (primarily transactional registries of compensation) and prior research, which reveal the identities of the personnel and associated instrumentation of the ensemble. Based on these sources, a more accurate portrait of the Cappella Reale, its constitution, and even its repertory in the late eighteenth century is offered. Contemporary keyboard culture in the capital city is also discussed, noting the thriving sector of craftsmen, whose activities complemented the wide-ranging cultivation of keyboard and instrumental genres.

The present chapter continues the discussion about Neapolitan maestri/operisti who produced instrumental compositions, focusing on Domenico Cimarosa and Pietro Alessandro Guglielmi. The surviving instrumental works of Cimarosa and Guglielmi favor keyboard genres (solo and ensemble), reflecting the preferences of Maria Carolina. The evidence also includes larger forms such as the concerto and sinfonia, the latter bearing clues regarding possible performances by the Cappella Reale. The pieces examined in this chapter reveal the distinctive imprimatur of Neapolitan pedagogy, namely the presence of melodic schemata not only as a principal technical resource but also, and more importantly, as the fundamental core of a distinctive style.

This chapter presents an overview of instrumental music performances within the rarified environs of the royal court and associated social and political circles. It draws on the holdings of the Conservatory of Naples Library (San Pietro a Majella), the present-day custodian of the original possessions from the royal archive – which reveal a much broader, extensive collection of instrumental music from the late eighteenth century. This body of material includes a thorough representation of the composers who visited Naples and were promoted by Norbert Hadrava – namely Ignaz Pleyel, Adalbert Gyrowetz, and Johann Sterkel. The music under examination represents different instrumental genres – including sonatas (solo and duo), string quartets, string quintets, concertos, and sinfonie – revealing a broad cultivation of these forms. Through the coordination of contextual sources with extant works, as well as their careful examination and analysis, a detailed snapshot may be established of Maria Carolina’s tastes in instrumental music.

This chapter provides an overview of the curriculum and modes of instruction within the Neapolitan conservatory curriculum. It focuses specifically on the instructional methods of solfeggio and partimento, drawing on exercises found in surviving eighteenth-century Neapolitan sources. It also considers larger historical contexts such as the diverse approaches of Francesco Durante and Leonardo Leo, whose students have been labeled as “Durantisti” and “Leisti.” Contemporary scholarship on the topics of solfeggio and partimento are also considered – in particular, the work of Robert Gjerdingen and Peter van Tour. The pedagogical importance of the conservatory curriculum served as the basis for a broad, diverse skill set, and the educational methodologies of the conservatories served as the foundation for prevailing stylistic unities derived from techniques learned in these institutions. The emergence of specific shared performance practices, compositional strategies, and broad parameters of style was closely associated with Neapolitan music in the eighteenth century and was widely discussed by contemporary and subsequent sources.

The establishment of Naples as an independent kingdom in the eighteenth century not only drew the European diplomatic corps to the city but also initiated a broad civic renewal and beautification of the city. Although Naples had been a cultural and musical capital of Europe since the previous century, the coalescence of political stability and social renewal with the intertwined network of artistic institutions (conservatories, theaters, churches, and patrons) propelled the kingdom into continental prominence. The city became a destination point for the vast number of travelers moving across the continent in search of pleasure, leisure or of “knowledge” (particularly regarding the reclamation of antiquity), or simply to follow prevailing fashions. These travelers – often young, affluent, educated, and with ties to aristocratic birthright – headed south for the “Grand Tour.” As a “must see,” Naples became an obligatory stop, and the experiences of travelers were immortalized in numerous books, journals, periodicals, travelogues, memoirs, visual arts, etc. Their reflections often merged around the broad themes of natural phenomena, the patrimony of ancient civilizations, and the unprecedented diversity of entertainment (above all, opera). Through these wide-ranging sources, this chapter documents how Naples entered the public imagination as a broad ideal of culture.

The last twenty-five years of the eighteenth century in Naples witnessed a profound transformation. At the center of this process of innovation, change, and upheaval was Queen Maria Carolina, the consort to King Ferdinand IV. Thanks to the influence of her mother, Empress Maria Theresa, Maria Carolina was not to be a mere spouse or observer; rather, she was destined to be the driving force for sweeping change within the Kingdom of Naples. Despite her well-documented limitations and even ineptitude, Maria Carolina established a formidable presence within contemporary artistic life. Unlike her husband, she possessed cultural sensibilities that were astute, and she was an engaged patron of art, music, and dance. This chapter focuses on Maria Carolina within the artistic sphere of her reign, namely as a cultural icon, with a specific emphasis on her role as a musical patron. Working from diverse sources – including historical research, surviving diaries, and personal correspondence, as well as related documents – this chapter establishes a portrait of Maria Carolina’s musical interests, with a specific focus on the cultivation of instrumental music at court, thereby shedding light on a largely unknown, yet important, sector of Neapolitan artistic life at the end of the eighteenth century.