Conservatorio di Santa Maria di Loreto

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The Conservatorio di Santa Maria di Loreto was the oldest of the four orphanages and conservatories of Naples , which also played a decisive role in the musical life of the city in the 17th and 18th centuries and led to the formation of the so-called Neapolitan School . Like the other three, it was one of the best known and best training centers for castrati , and existed from 1535 to 1797.

history

Poverty and misery reigned in Naples in the 16th century. A " mastro " Francesco, who was probably a simple craftsman , had the idea in 1535 of building an orphanage near the church of Santa Maria di Loreto for orphaned and poor children of both sexes (but strictly separated from each other); According to Francesco Florimo , the exact date of the foundation was June 29, 1535. Subsequently, the project was supported by the Spanish "Protonotario Apostolico" Giovanni di Tapia, who dedicated himself exclusively to the orphanage until his death in 1543. In 1560 the Neapolitan government moved it to a larger seat, still at Santa Maria di Loreto. The management of the institute was in the hands of six so-called governatori from the people of Naples, who were elected annually on the last Sunday in August, the day of the Madonna di Loreto ; one of them also held the office of President of the Sacro Consiglio.

The distinguishing feature of the children was their completely white clothing with a long undergarment ( sottana ) and a shorter upper garment, the zimarra , and a white beret . Apart from mostly anonymous donations from rich or aristocratic fellow men, the children provided for their own living by collecting alms in groups on the streets or in the churches of Naples , or taking part in processions and funerals as candle bearers and singers - they worked because of their white people Garments on people like " angels " ( angiulilli ).

In 1565, the girls were relocated to existing orphanages for girls on Santissima Annunziata and Sant'Eligio. In the same year the orphanage was given to the Fathers of Somaschi, who gave the children lessons in grammar , religion , philosophy and science. The boys were also given the opportunity to do an apprenticeship in a trade in order to be able to support themselves later.

It is not known when exactly the music lessons began, however, between 1630 and 1640, musicians appear for the first time in the documents who received a fixed salary of one ducat per month as teachers . They were a maestro de cappella ( Kapellmeister ), a maestro de cornetta ( zinc teacher ) and a maestro de violini ( violin teacher ). The institute's first teacher known by name appears in a document from 1656 about the performance of a cantata : Il fido campione della Divina Provvidenza , with music by Andrea Marino.

From 1644, the gates were also opened to foreign students, who were not orphans and had to pay for at least six years of musical training.

The school's remarkable success began under Francesco Provenzale , who was principal ( primo maestro ) from 1664 to 1675 . After him, the school was headed by Gaetano Veneziano , Nicola Acerbo, Pietro Bartilotti and Giuliano Perugino. Also Alessandro Scarlatti served the Institute in 1689 as primo maestro - but only for a month. Other great masters of the Neapolitan school worked in the 18th century : Francesco Mancini (1720–1737), Giovanni Fischietti (1737–1739), Nicola Porpora (1739–1741 and 1758–1760), Francesco Durante (1742–1761), Gennaro Manna (1756–1761), Pietro Antonio Gallo (1761–1777) and Fedele Fenaroli (1777–1807).

The Santa Maria di Loreto was the largest and most popular music school in Naples; it had an average of 1,500 students every ten years. It was supported in its activities by the residents of the surrounding Loreto district, who often came to hear the boys' choirs sing during mass and other sacred functions.

In 1797 the Conservatorio di Santa Maria di Loreto was closed by King Ferdinand IV of Bourbon and the building was used as a military hospital. The rest of the students were mainly taken in by the Sant'Onofrio , which at that time only had about 30 students. Until it was destroyed by the bombs of World War II , one could read the motto of the Conservatorio above the gate: Un dì ad Apollo, ad Esculapio or sacro (“One day to Apollo , to Aesculap or to the saint ”).

Important students and teachers of Santa Maria di Loreto

Teacher:

Students and teachers:

Student:

See also

literature

  • AA.VV .: Il Conservatorio di San Pietro a Majella , Editrice Electa, 2008. ISBN 9788851005146

Web links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j Information about the Conservatorio di Santa Maria di Loreto on the website www.sanpietroamajella.it , last accessed on October 8, 2018
  2. ↑ Information about the Conservatorio Sant'Onofrio a Porta Capuana in the archive of the website www.sanpietroamajella.it , last accessed on October 8, 2018