Instrumental music from the 18th century in the Crescimanno d’Albafiorita collection, Caltagirone

Abstract

The Crescimanno d’Albafiorita noble family from Caltagirone, Sicily, owns a private library including manuscript instrumental music from the 18th century. The survival of such items is indeed a rare event at those latitudes. The collection clearly attests an interest for instrumental music in town and in Sicily, both in public life and—even more—in nobility’s daily life. Apparently the Crescimannos, like other Italian and European noble families, have been cultivating music to their great pleasure over a long stretch of time, collecting instrumental pieces in a diversity of genres and origins to quench their thirst for listening and playing chamber music, solo concerts, and symphonies. The most valuable documents are manuscripts (including some unica) by famous musicians, from Tartini to the Sammartini brothers, from Alessandro Besozzi to Davide Perez. Also interesting, and not only for local music history, are compositions by musicians now unknown, or known to scholars only (Cecere, Prota, Sciroli, Napoli, La Barbiera, Platania, Cuchel), but performed and appreciated in their times.