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"Neapolitan music"--to most English-speakers today the phrase will bring to mind sentimental chestnuts such as "O sole mio" or the unpolished music of urban peasants. It may come as a surprise to learn that Naples was once considered one of the musical capitals of Europe; during the 17th and 18th centuries the city's numerous conservatories attracted students from all over the continent.
The city was home to a number of composers well known today (though we may not necessarily remember them as Neapolitan): Pergolesi, Scarlatti, and Jommelli, as well as Gesualdo, who was local nobility. In addition, the conservatories produced a school of fine composers largely forgotten today, such as Francesco Provenzale and Cristofaro Caresana. It's these composers, along with their more-famous brethren, that this fine little book (and its two accompanying CDs of well-performed musical examples) means to celebrate.
Not that the book is a history lecture. The author, musicologist Dinko Fabris, describes it as an "illustrated travel guide," with stories from five centuries of the city's musical life--such as vivid descriptions of the social whirl at the San Carlo opera house and Dr. Burney's account of the great violinist and composer Arcangelo Corelli being outplayed and humbled by Naples musicians--along with photographs of the old city and beautiful reproductions of paintings (including several by Caravaggio) of Neapolitans making music. Indeed, you might call this a coffee-table book for small apartments (it measures only 5-1/2 by 8 inches). Modest size notwithstanding, with its beautiful illustrations, entertaining text, and accompanying discs, this title is a real bargain. --Matthew Westphal
