Music in the Courts of Europe in the Early Modern Era

Figures

The English Chapel Royal, Publications, and the Public: William Croft

Figure 1: Portrait of the composer William Croft (1678–1727) from the first volume of his Musica Sacra

Reconstructing a Tradition: The French Royal Chapel and its Repertoire (1661–1792)

Figure 1: Livre d’orgue pour la Chapelle royale de Versailles

Figure 2: Super flumina Babylonis, verset « Adhaereat lingua mea faucibus meis »

Figure 3: Motets et élévations pour la chapelle du roy

Figure 4: Motets pour la chapelle du Roy, mis en musique par Monsieur l’Abbé Robert. Haute-Contre du Grand Chœur

Figure 5: Liber primus Festivitatum omnium, quae in sacello Regis Christianissimi Celebrantur. Liber quartus Festivitatum omnium, quae in sacello Regis Christianissimi Celebrantur

“People of an utterly good way of life, neither drinkers, nor gamblers, nor slovenly rascals.” Music and Musicians at the Mannheim Court

Figure 1: La Residence De Son Altesse Serenissime Electorale, Palatine a Manheim

Figure 2: Riepel, the addition of measures in twos [Zweier], threes [Dreier] or fours [Vierer]

Figure 3: Johann Stamitz: Orchester-Trio in C major, first movement, violin I

Figure 4: Anton Filtz: Sinfonia for 8, Sinfonie périodique, n.º 2, violin I

Figure 5: Beck, Menuetto I, from Symphony for 8 op.4/1, violin I

Figure 6: Johann Stamitz, Symphony for 8, 1st movement Presto, violin I

Figure 7: Franz Xaver Richter: Symphony a 8

Figure 8: Johann Stamitz, Symphony a 11

Figure 9: Sinfonie zur Tragödie Hamlet

Strategies of Sound and Power: Ceremonies, Masters, and Music in the Royal Palatine Chapel of Palermo during the Spanish Viceroyalty

Figure 1: Interior of the Royal Palatine Chapel, dedicated to Saint Peter, at the Royal Palace of Palermo

Figure 2: Frontispiece of the Bassus of the Motecta ad canendum tam cum quattuor, quinque, sex et octo vocibus, quam cum instrumentis composita

Figure 3: Frontispiece of L’Empietà punita. Dialogo in musica, da cantarsi nel Giesu di Palermo. Con l’occasione delle 40. Hore di Carnouale di quest’anno 1679. Composto dal signor D. Antonino Benitti, Musico della Real Cappella di S. Pietro

Figure 4: Triumphal chariot with musicians for the Feast of Saint Rosalia in 1693, Li giorni d’oro di Palermo nella trionfale solennità di S. Rosalia vergine palermitana celebrata l’anno 1693. Rinouandosi l’annuale memoria della sua inuenzione

Figure 5: Caricatura di Giuseppe Chiaromonte castrato, March 20, 1746 (coll.: OP-3647, The State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg)

Musical Accounts and Practices of the Celebrations and Festivities Held by the Spanish Monarchy during their Stays in the City of Valladolid (1502–1606)

Figure 1: Drawing of the Alcázar of Segovia

Figure 2: Entry of Philip II to Valenciennes

Figure 3: Fiestas en la Plaza Mayor

Figure 4: La Fête au Vivier d’Oye en présence des archiducs Albert et Isabelle

Figure 5: View of the Church of San Lorenzo at the beginning of the twentieth century

Figure 6: Motet Domine Dominus noster, for 12 voices

Figure 7: Sayón con trompeta recta, from Camino del Calvario

Figure 8: Teatro de la Comedia

Music in the Court of Philip IV: The Royal Chapel of Madrid under the Mandate of Carlos Patiño (1634–1675)

Figure 1: View of the Alcázar of Madrid

Figure 2: The Real Alcázar of Madrid

Figure 3: Monumento funerario de Felipe IV

Figure 4: Carlos II ante la Sagrada Forma

Figure 5: Convento de los Trinitarios de Santa María del Campo Rus (Cuenca)

Figure 6: Alonso Lobo

Figure 7: Facade of the Monastery of the Incarnation (Madrid)

Figure 8: Portrait of Philip IV in Fraga

Figure 9: Motet Maria, Mater Dei by Carlos Patiño (measures 1–12)

Figure 10: Motet Maria, Mater Dei by Carlos Patiño (measures 145–160)

Figure 11: Portrait of Carlos Patiño

Figure 12: Cover page of the villancico No salga el sol by Carlos Patiño

Ut musica pictura: Myriam and Mary as the Consolation of a Dynasty in Luca Giordano, Painter at the Court of Charles II

Figure 1: Four Women making Music

Figure 2: Rubens Painting “The Allegory of Peace”

Figure 3: Bathsheba at her Bath

Figure 4: The Holy Family with Saint Elisabeth and the Infant Saint John

Figure 5: The Song of Myriam the Prophetess

Figure 6: Bourbon and Habsburg Claimants to the Spanish Throne

Figure 7: The Imposition of the Chasuble on Saint Ildephonsus

Figure 8: One of the seven choirs of angels

Figure 9: The Adoration of the Sacred Form of Gorkum

Figure 10: Marina Escobar

Figures 11–13:    Three settings of the Psalm Laetatus sum: The first for 13 voices (four choirs), the second for 12 voices (three choirs), and the third for 10 voices (three choirs)

Figure 14: The Song of Myriam

Figure 15: The Song of Myriam

Figure 16: Crossing the Red Sea by the Israelites

Figure 17: The Song of Myriam the Prophetess

Figure 18: The Triumph of Myriam

Figure 19: The Song of Myriam the Prophetess

Figure 20: Finding of Moses (Myriam Retrieving Moses)

Figure 21: Myriam

Opera for a Royal Iberian Wedding: A Re-evaluation of Amor aumenta el valor (Lisbon, 1728), and New Considerations on its Production

Figure 1: Musicians of the Royal Chapel in the pit of the Coliseo del Buen Retiro

A Privateer’s Booty: A New Source for the Study of Francesco Corradini, Chapel Master at the Eighteenth-Century Spanish Court

Figure 1: Fragment of the manuscript of Eco y Narciso

Figures 2–3:    Annotation of the author’s name on the manuscripts of Eco y Narciso and the aria “El pasajero”

Figure 4: Fragment of the manuscript of Don Juan de Espina in Madrid

A Retrospective on Antonio Ugena y Langa (*Uclés, July 5, 1745; †Madrid, April 29, 1817), Master of the Royal Chapel: Biography, Historiography, and Reception

Figure 1: Certificate of Baptism of Antonio Ugena

Figure 2: Antonio Ugena’s Donation to the Army Fighting Against Napoleon

Tables

Strategies of Sound and Power: Ceremonies, Masters, and Music in the Royal Palatine Chapel of Palermo during the Spanish Viceroyalty

Table 1: List of Members of the Palatine Chapel, July 3, 1587

Musical Accounts and Practices of the Celebrations and Festivities Held by the Spanish Monarchy during their Stays in the City of Valladolid (1502–1606)

Table 1: List of musicians who performed in Valladolid on the occasion of the reception of the kings and the festivities of 1592

A Retrospective on Antonio Ugena y Langa (*Uclés, July 5, 1745; †Madrid, April 29, 1817), Master of the Royal Chapel: Biography, Historiography, and Reception

Table 1: Works by Don Antonio Ugena, vice-master of the aforementioned Royal Chapel and vice-rector of His Majesty’s College of Child Choristers, with the originals

Table 2: Additions that have been made to the inventory of ecclesiastical works that the Royal Chapel has possessed since the year of 1778, when Don Antonio Ugena began to serve as chapelmaster [until 1788]

Presentation of the Series “Musicology and Culture”

María Dolores Segarra

The “Musicology and Culture” series was founded with the purpose of promulgating innovative research that examines the role and evolution of music within several different historical and cultural contexts. A number of subjects will be explored: diversification of source material and document conservation; diversity of genres, styles, and musical institutions; analyses, both musical and rhetorical; music theory and thought; coetaneous responses and reception; organology and music iconography; the relationship between music and literature; gender studies, particularly within a musical context; paleographic transcriptions; etc. The series is designed for both a general audience and scholars in the field; it will be comprised of a collection of documents (including essays, monographs, conference proceedings, and critical editions) that represent a substantial development of scientific musicological knowledge. The editors and editorial board will collaborate with prestigious international scholars and support the research of young musicologists.

The “Musicology and Culture” series addresses issues of great contemporary musicological interest and covers a wide range of topics related to music history, music theory, aestheticism, and rhetoric. It will also consider and analyze the reception of musical phenomena through a critical lens.

This series is designed to prioritize the investigation of issues that have not yet been extensively examined or widely disseminated. The series has two fundamental objectives: to understand musical phenomena within the social, political, and economic zeitgeist of each period and to explore the complex network of parties (i.e., composers, performers, publishers, institutions, critics, and audiences) that collaborated in the creation and development of musical styles.

It will also explore the reception and influence of different schools and composers and will study the international exchange of musical ideas. In addition, it will examine the role played by patrons, particularly with regard to the relationship between music and both civil and ecclesiastical institutions. Through the publication of theoretical and practical critical editions, the series will prioritize the recovery and promulgation of unpublished musical heritage from the sixteenth to the twentieth centuries.

Factors seldomly addressed in musicological research (such as the influence that patrons or important institutions may have had on music, the effect that the production and consumption of music may have had on the evolution of taste, the role played by female musicians, or the impact of technology on the dissemination of musical works) will be examined in this series. This will be of particular interest, as it will allow for a more thorough understanding of both musical works and music as a whole.

Introduction

Paulino Capdepón & Juan José Pastor

Music played a fundamental role in the royal courts of Europe during the early modern era. Not only was it a source of entertainment, but it was also a political and cultural tool that monarchs could use to project their power and status. The music created and performed in the courts of Europe was therefore key to the development of a monarchy’s cultural and political identity, transcending artistic function to become a symbol of power and prestige. During the Baroque period, music regularly accompanied both the public ceremonies and the private events of the courts, consolidating royal authority and projecting an image of splendor and elegance. A group of researchers from several European universities have collaborated to study these and other subjects related to the musical activity carried out in the courts of Europe.

With respect to the British court, Range’s chapter highlights the importance of William Croft and the impact he had on the London Chapel Royal in the first decades of the eighteenth century. In modern perception, Croft is very much in the shadow of Handel; at the time, however, Croft, the official composer and master of the Chapel, would have been at the forefront of public awareness. Croft was in charge of the music performed at public royal events; furthermore, he brought the music of the Chapel to the public, so to speak, with the publication of some of the music he had composed for its services—most notably in his two-volume collection of anthems, Musica Sacra, published in 1725–1726.

With regard to the music of the French court, Favier’s chapter explores the history and evolution of the French Royal Chapel’s repertoire from 1661 to 1792. It highlights the Chapel’s dual role in offering daily worship services and hosting significant political and religious events. Favier discusses the development of repertoire, the influence of Gallicanism, and the balance between tradition and modernity in the music of the Chapel. From 1663 to the Revolution, one or more choral motets were performed in a concerto style during the celebration of the daily low Mass; these motets remain a standard for understanding the French monarchy’s cultural identity.

Schmitt’s chapter focuses on the court of Mannheim. The popularity of the Mannheim School, particularly during the reign of Elector Charles Theodore (1724–1799), was predicated on several different social and aesthetic factors. Schmitt examines the standard of living of the musicians employed in the court and their families, which, due to the generous financial compensation given to them by the elector, would have been ideal. Aesthetically, the works of Mannheim composers are natural, and are closely associated with the Enlightenment ideas of nature and simplicity. Schmitt argues that the compositional principle of combining motivic cells is in and of itself an implementation of these aesthetic ideas, that is the idea of simplicity is exemplified in and is the ideological inspiration behind that which the music theorist Joseph Riepel describes as ars combinatoria.

Grippaudo’s chapter explores the musical role played by the Palatine Chapel in Palermo between the sixteenth and the eighteenth centuries, highlighting its function in projecting and legitimizing monarchical power. Through an in-depth analysis of various primary sources, Grippaudo examines the ecclesiastical zeitgeist of the early modern period in Sicily. She discusses the musical reforms initiated by Viceroy Marcantonio Colonna in 1584, the establishment of the ensemble, the origins of the musicians, and the succession of chapelmasters, placing particular emphasis on the interaction between local figures and “foreigners.” The chapter examines the connection between the music and the ceremonial, highlighting the Palatine Chapel’s role in evincing the power of the Spanish monarchy. The chapter explores the gradual transition from Spanish to Savoyard to Bourbon dominion.

Angela Fiore’s article focuses on the evolution of the Ducal Chapel of the House of Este from the late sixteenth to the early eighteenth centuries, detailing the challenges it faced and its resurgence after the ducal seat moved from Ferrara to Modena in 1598. Under Francesco I, the chapel became more systematized, and an important string instrument tradition was fostered through the work of musicians such as Marco Uccellini. The reign of Francesco II (1674–1694) marked the peak of its musical splendor; the chapel had an extensive ensemble, and the establishment of a “copistería” for the music scores in its archives and the engagement of numerous virtuosos through the use of extensive diplomatic networks helped the chapel flourish. Despite temporary setbacks like the War of the Spanish Succession, which occurred during the reign of Rinaldo, the chapel continued to attract talented musicians, including female singers. However, due to financial difficulties, the chapel’s fame gradually began to fade in the 1730s under the reign of Francesco III. Today, the collection of musical sources in Modena stands as a crucial testament to the House of Este’s rich history.

Palacios’ chapter focuses on Valladolid. Particularly from 1502 to 1606, the city was the residence and political center of the Spanish monarchy; it thus hosted various events and festive celebrations (held both in the streets of the city and inside the palace) in which music played a fundamental role. As a result, numerous acoustic “spaces” were created, accompanying dances and other performances and projecting an image of monarchical magnificence and power. Musicians and composers of different nationalities were thus drawn to the city, leaving behind a rich musical legacy.

Pérez Mancilla’s chapter centers on the Royal Chapel of Granada, a mausoleum founded by the Catholic Monarchs in 1504 to house their remains. Through a comprehensive study of the successive regulations issued by the Crown, Pérez Mancilla analyzes the musical activity carried out in the Chapel between 1504 and 1531. He demonstrates that, from the institution’s inception, music was an essential part of the ceremonial; plainchant and polyphonic singing were performed during the daily celebration of Masses and Divine Offices.

Ezquerro’s chapter focuses on the stays of Philip II and Philip III (both of whom would have been accompanied by their court and entourage) in Zaragoza between 1590 and 1621, the year of Philip III’s death. Magnificent festivities and pageants, all of which would have been accompanied by music, were organized in honor of the royal visitors. Ezquerro discusses the royal stays in Zaragoza and their musical accompaniment in detail, presenting information extracted from documentation (largely previously unpublished) found in the archives of the then Collegiate Church (now Cathedral) of Our Lady of the Pillar.

Capdepón’s chapter centers on the Royal Chapel of Madrid during the reign of Philip IV, a period during which Spanish music flourished. In 1634, Carlos Patiño, one of the most influential and prestigious musicians of the Spanish Baroque, was appointed chapelmaster of the institution. His career and musical work are discussed in detail, and his approach and practice are studied within the context of the polychoral style, of which he was one of the main representatives. Capdepón analyzes and provides an edition of a previously unpublished villancico, No salga el sol (preserved in the Collegiate Church of Santa María la Mayor in Talavera de la Reina), as an example of Patiño’s compositional activity.

Pastor’s chapter analyzes the presence and importance of female musicians in Spanish Baroque painting and, more specifically, in the work of Luca Giordano. Pastor argues that these depictions are not mere artistic illustrations but rather are indicative of a specific political and religious iconographic program. The chapter explores Giordano’s depiction of women as protagonists in musical, religious, and allegorical scenes. Through an analysis of several paintings and works such as the frescoes in the Toledo Cathedral, Pastor explores the potential intentionality behind these depictions within the political context of late seventeenth century Europe.

González Marín’s chapter presents a review of an important theatrical production that was staged during the Exchange of Princesses, the ceremonies that surrounded the double marriage that strengthened diplomatic relations between the Spanish and Portuguese monarchies; one of the marriages was between Ferdinand, the Prince of Asturias (the future Ferdinand VI of Spain) and Maria Barbara, the Infanta of Portugal (the future Queen of Spain). González Marín discusses, in light of the data provided, the court spectacles that were staged for this event; these spectacles, made possible through the collaboration between the musicians of the Royal Chapel and Chamber and several theater companies, featured a juxtaposition of tradition and dramaturgical and musical innovations.

Pascual’s chapter focuses on the recent discovery of a set of documents on the Francisco of Hamburg, a ship captured on its way from Tenerife to Hamburg in 1744. Among the documents is a previously unknown manuscript score of an “aria with violins” titled El pasajero. This enigmatic score bears the signature of the Italian composer Francesco Corradini, who was chapelmaster at the Royal Palace of Valencia before moving to Madrid to serve as maestro de música de camara in the Spanish court. Although only the soprano and basso continuo parts of the score survive, the title suggests that there must have originally been a violin accompaniment part.

De la Fuente’s chapter offers an in-depth discussion of the biography and historiography of Antonio Ugena y Langa, master of the Royal Chapel of Madrid, considering details such as the date and location of his birth, the location listed on his baptismal certificate, and the adversity he faced in his career. De la Fuente studies several inventories and the reception of Ugena’s work. The research and objective analysis included in this chapter highlight Ugena’s importance and impact at the head of the most prestigious musical institution in Spain and allow for the greater promulgation of his work.

This publication would not have been possible without the support and collaboration of numerous individuals and institutions; their dedication and knowledge have enriched every page of this book. First and foremost, we would like to express our deepest gratitude to the researchers and musicologists who generously shared their expertise; their contributions have been invaluable. Their commitment to the study of the music created and performed in European courts during the early modern period and their academic rigor have been a constant source of inspiration. We are also extremely grateful to the staff of the archives and libraries who facilitated our access to the historical documents essential to this work.

We would like to thank Dr. Julián Garde, the Rector of the University of Castilla-La Mancha, Dr. César Sánchez Meléndez, the Vice-Rector of Culture, Dr. César Sánchez Ortiz, the Director of Publications, and Dr. David Gutiérrez, the Director of the Department of Physical Education, Arts, and Music.

We would also like to thank the international academic publishing house Peter Lang for all their support and interest in the series “Musicology and Culture.” We would especially like to extend our gratitude to Adrian Stähli, our acquisition editor, and Elena Mora, our assistant editor. It has been a pleasure to collaborate with them and we hope that this is the beginning of a fruitful relationship.

We are also indebted to the professors from different universities who have agreed to be part of the scientific committee of the “Musicology and Culture” series.