| Contents |
Note on the Venetian Monetary System -- Part 1. Scuole Grandi. For the honor of God: the origin and nature of the Scuole Grandi -- Gathering together: ritual and ceremony at the Scuole Grandi -- Singing for the souls of our brothers: musical beginnings to the middle of the fifteenth century -- Singing praises to the Lord: the early use of professional musicians, 1445-1500 -- Best in the city: salaried musicians, 1500-1650 -- So super-excellent: music for the annual festa, 1500-1650 -- Only a few appear, and often none: the Scuole in decline, 1650-1807 -- Part 2. Scuole Piccole. Procession, vespers, songs, and organ: the scuole piccole and music to 1600 -- Honorable and necessary work: music at the Scuole Piccole in the seventeenth century -- With jubilant voices: the final century of music at the Scuole Piccole, 1700-1807 -- Conclusions -- Appendix 1 Processions and ceremonies of the Scuole Grandi -- Appendix 2 Calendar of religious occasions celebrated by the Scuole -- Musicians for the Festa of San Rocco, 1595-1634. |
| Abstract |
This is the first detailed history of musical activities at Venetian lay confraternities. Based on over two decades of research in Venetian archives, the book traces musical practices from the origins of the earliest confraternities in the mid-thirteenth century through their suppression under the French and Austrian governments of Venice in the early nineteenth century. The first section of the book treats the scuole grandi, the largest and most important of the Venetian confraternities, and the only ones to maintain musical establishments for long periods. The second portion of the book is concerned with the scuole piccole, the numerous less-important confraternities, sometimes as many as 300 of which were active simultaneously, located in churches throughout Venice. Appendices include an attempt to reconstruct a calendar of musical events at all Venetian confraternities in the early eighteenth century, demonstrating the vital role they played in the cultural and ceremonial life of this great city. |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references (pages 345-358) and index. |
| LCCN | 2002001235 |
| ISBN | 0195134893 (cloth : alk. paper) |
