Did you know?

Did you know that in the eighteenth century musically well-educated ladies of higher society often sung the most popular opera arias also in their private salons; with the accompaniment of the keyboard instrument and optionally two violins and viola. Such families commissioned copies of scores in professional copisterie, or by a musician form among their acquaintances. Soprano arias could be sung – transposed and octave lower – by gentlemen or vice versa. 

One collection, containing 44 arias and a duet, most probably originally belonging to the Coronini family, survived in the Archivio Storico Provinciale in Gorizia. One fourth of the whole collection represent music by the Neapolitan composer Giovanni Battista Pergolesi (1710–1746). His music, not only todays best known works like Stabat Mater and La serva padrona, had been in the eighteenth century extremely popular all over Europe. Separate arias were copied decades after the composer’s untimely death and were used in pasticcio operatic productions as well as for private performances. 

To learn more about private music making in noble palaces in Gorizia and the arias in the mentioned collection you are welcome to read in the article by Dr Metoda Kokole (https://doi.org/10.3986/dmd21.2.05)