Italian Manuscripts of Sacred Music in Dresden: The Neapolitan Collection of 1738–40

Autori

  • Claudio Bacciagaluppi
  • Janice B. Stockigt

Abstract

Kept in the Saxon State and University Library of Dresden (Sächsische Landes- und Universitätsbibliothek: D-Dl) is a magnificent collection of sacred music for the Catholic service. A significant part of this music is by Italian composers. This paper focusses on a group of Neapolitan scores that reached Dresden soon after the marriage in 1738 of the Saxon Princess Maria Amalia with Charles of Bourbon, King of Naples.

The different collections of Italian sacred music which entered into the present library are surveyed. Music used within the Catholic Court Church included compositions collected by Dresden composers such as Heinichen, Zelenka and Ristori. In addition the collections of members of the royal family comprised items of sacred music. Finally, an essential source of information is the catalogue of the church music compiled under the supervision of Johann Georg Schürer in 1765.

Within this context an attempt is made to identify in today’s holdings those items of Neapolitan sacred music that were brought from Italy in 1738–1740. At that time, Prince Friedrich Christian and Giovanni Alberto Ristori travelled to Italy and either bought or were presented with several music scores, for many of which concordances are no longer found in Italy. Appendices listing the sources identified, and illustrating recurring hands of Neapolitan copyists, as well as samples of watermarks are provided.

 

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La Sächsische Landes- und Universitätsbibliothek di Dresda conserva una magnifica raccolta di musica sacra cattolica. Una parte significativa di questa musica si deve a compositori italiani. Questo saggio riguarda in particolare un gruppo di partiture napoletane giunte a Dresda poco dopo il matrimonio, nel 1738, della principessa sassone Maria Amalia con Carlo di Borbone, re di Napoli. 

Il saggio esamina dapprima le diverse raccolte di musica sacra italiana oggi conservate nella biblioteca. La musica utilizzata nella chiesa cattolica di corte comprendeva composizioni raccolte da compositori di Dresda come Heinichen, Zelenka e Ristori. Inoltre, le raccolte dei membri della famiglia regnante comprendevano esemplari di musica sacra. Infine, una fonte di informazione particolarmente importante è il catalogo della musica sacra compilato sotto la supervisione di Johann Georg Schürer nel 1765.

Tenendo presente questo contesto, si è cercato di identificare nelle musiche oggi presenti in biblioteca quegli esemplari di musica sacra napoletana portati dall’Italia nel 1738–1740. In quel periodo, il principe Friedrich Christian e il maestro di cappella Giovanni Alberto Ristori vennero in Italia: qui comprarono o ricevettero in regalo molte partiture musicali, per molte delle quali non si trovano più concordanze in Italia.

Il saggio fornisce una serie di Appendici che elencano le fonti identificate e illustrano le mani ricorrenti di copisti napoletani, offrendo inoltre alcuni esempi di filigrane. 

 

Biografie autore

Claudio Bacciagaluppi

graduated in musicology in Zürich and completed his D.Phil. in Fribourg (Switzerland) with Luca Zoppelli. He is research assistant at Fribourg University. His research fields are Baroque sacred music and Romantic performing practice. He published papers, among others, in L’organo (1998–99), Recercare (2006), Rivista italiana di musicologia (2006), and Studi musicali (2009). Together with Luigi Collarile he published the thematic catalogue of Carlo Donato Cossoni (1623–1700; Berne, 2009). His dissertation was recently published with the title "Rom, Prag, Dresden: Pergolesi und die Neapolitanische Messe in Europa" (Kassel, 2010).

Janice B. Stockigt

Associate Professor Janice (Jan) B. Stockigt is a Principal Fellow of University of Melbourne and a Fellow of The Australian Academy of Humanities. In recent years she has held Post-doctoral and a Queen Elizabeth II Fellowships of the Australian Research Council. Her current research projects include investigation of music composed and collected for performance in the Catholic court church of Dresden during the first half of the eighteenth century. An overview of the prestigious DresdenHofkapelle is the subject of her contribution to a forthcoming book: The Changing Artistic Priorities of German Hofkapellen 1715–1760 which she, together with Samantha Owens and Barbara Reul, co-edited.

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Pubblicato

10/08/2013

Fascicolo

N. 15 (2010)

Sezione

Saggi

Licenza

© CIDIM

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