A Musicians' Union in Sixteenth-Century Venice

Abstract

To WHAT EXTENT did musicians in a court or church cappella in Renaissance Italy rely upon outside musical activities for their livelihood? There is no doubt that well-known composers augmented their incomes through commissions from various patrons, just as the most famous singers and instrumental virtuosi often traveled widely, exhibiting their talents. Such avenues, however, were not open to the ordinary chapel musician, who, nonetheless, had the same material needs as his more exalted colleagues. He had to compete with his fellow musicians, from within the cappella and without, for less prestigious jobs, and, like moonlighting workers everywhere, often had to juggle conflicting obligations. Only by studying these outside activities can we fully comprehend the workings of the major musical institutions and the complex and changing relationships among the musicians and between the musicians and their employers. This article is an investigation of such outside activities as exemplified by the relationships of the members of one of the most important musical organizations of Renaissance Italy, the cappella of San Marco in Venice, with the local religious confraternities known as the Scuole Grandi.