Music in Seventeenth-Century Naples Francesco Provenzale (1624–1704)

The most important figure of seventeenth-century Neapolitan music, Francesco Provenzale (1624-1704) spent his long life in the service of a number of Neapolitan conservatories and churches, culminating in his appointment as maestro of the Tesoro di S. Gennaro and the Real Cappella. Provenzale was successful in generating significant profit from a range of musical activities promoted by him with the participation of his pupils and trusted collaborators. Dinko Fabris draws on newly discovered archival documents to reconstruct the career of a musician who became the leader of his musical world, despite his relatively small musical output. The book examines Provenzale's surviving works alongside those of his most important Neapolitan contemporaries (Raimo Di Bartolo, Sabino, Salvatore and Caresana) and pupils (Fago, Greco, Veneziano and many others), revealing both stylistic similarities and differences, particularly in terms of new harmonic practices and the use of Neapolitan language in opera. Fabris provides both a life and works study of Provenzale and a conspectus of Neapolitan musical life of the seventeenth century which so clearly laid the groundwork for Naples' later status as one of the great musical capitals of Europe.

Contents: Preface; La città della festa; The age of Provenzale; The four conservatoires; A composer for the church; Provenzale and opera in Naples; Chamber and instrumental music; Hope and disillusion; Conclusion; Catalogue of Provenzale's works; Bibliography; Index.

Dinko Fabris is Lecturer in History of Music at the University of Basilicata and Conservatorio di Bari, Italy. He has published several books and articles on lute and keyboard tablatures, patronage and music in Spanish Naples.