Musica, potere e condizione femminile nei monasteri palermitani (secoli XVII-XVIII)

Musical activities in Palermo’s convents have so far received little scholarly attention, even though there is ample evidence of their importance. Indeed, in Palermo’s cloisters the promotion of music was able to go beyond architectural divisions and dissolve the conventional boundaries of space. Therefore, music acted as a powerful device of communication between the internal and external dimensions, as well as a means for asserting a social status which nuns and novices didn’t want to give up. However, while on the one hand the expenses for musical activities were recurring, on the other it is not easy to assess the direct contribution of the nuns to the musical practice. On the contrary,…

Apprenderanno a suonar di cembalo ed i fondamenti della musica': contesti e modalità di formazione musicale a Palermo in età moderna

Scenografie del sacro: Convent Theatre and Music in Palermo, 1650-1750

From the second half of the seventeenth century, Palermo’s convents contributed to the musical framework of the city through the performance of musical plays, oratorios, feste teatrali and other similar works. It is known that since the Cinquecento, as well as contributing music to sacred services, female communities employed music to enrich and ornament their entertainments. With the emergence of the typically Baroque taste for astonishment, music began to play a more prominent role, becoming one of the most important elements in convent theatre. The nuns often took part in public performances, during which they sang and played musical instruments, thereby confirming that convent life was …