Seicento Rome

Abstract

The recent publication of two volumes dedicated to Roman musical life in the 17th century is a striking indication of how much new research is being undertaken in this field. That by Alexandra Nigito is the first in the MARS series (an acronym that works both in German—Musik und Adel im Rom des Sei- und Settecento—and Italian: Musica e aristocrazia a Roma nel Sei- e Settecento), which is dedicated to publishing the results of two research projects undertaken by the universities of Zurich and Mainz, each with a focus on Roman music patronage. Nigito’s study of Prince Giovanni Battista Pamphili is, as yet, the only volume to have made it to press, but the advertised list of projected publications contains a number of titles that sound very interesting indeed, and whose appearance will undoubtedly be eagerly awaited. The fourth planned volume in the series, also by Nigito, will be a study of music at the court of Cardinal Benedetto Pamphili, a figure well known both for his output as a librettist, and for his patronage of some of the most important musicians of the day, including Handel and Corelli. However, it is Prince Giovanni Battista Pamphili, someone who has traditionally been overlooked by musicologists in favour of his more famous brother, who is the focus of the present work. As Nigito’s invaluable study demonstrates, documents in Giovanni Battista’s archive reveal a great deal about musical life in Rome during the period from 1666 (the year in which he inherited his title) until his death in 1709.