La musica sacra del XVIII secolo in area milanese. Aspetti e stili

Abstract

The principal aim of this study is the analysis of the complex Milanese reality in relation to other contemporary musical-liturgical contexts and to the situation described in the Encyclical Annus qui issued by Pope Benedict XIV in 1749.
After examining the Encyclical in its main points concerning performance practice, the article goes on to outline the situation in the diocese of Milan, governed from 1743 to 1783 by Cardinal Giuseppe Pozzobonelli, a learned Milanese nobleman who was a careful and efficient church administrator in a difficult historical period.
From contemporary sources (Ragguagli di vari paesi, Almanacchi sacri, and the travel journal of Dr. Burney), and in particular the compositions of musicians active in Milan at the time, the article examines the type of music written for the Duomo and other churches both inside and outside the city. It is clear from this analysis that throughout the eighteenth century the former maintained a conservative position faithful to the early traditions, imposing on their musicians absolute adherence to the rules; the latter, particularly parishes under secular priests, acted instead with greater freedom, allowing musical instruments to accompany religious services, withaut regard for the Pope's orders.
In this context are examined the works of Giovan Battista Sammartini, Johann Christian Bach, Carlo Monza and in particular Giovanni Andrea Fioroni, who was Maestro di Cappella in the Chiesa Metropolitana from 1747 to 1778. The catalogue of Fioroni's music clearly shows his twofold tendency towards modernism and conservatism, especially with the recent discovery of a significant number of his compositions in the Fondo musicale dell'Archivio Plebano in Vimercate. These contribute a revaluation of Fioroni, revealing his significance in Milan at the time, one completely at ease when following either the strict traditional rules of counterpoint or when composing in a more modern style.