Stages, Choirs and “Cantorie”: Architecture at the Service of Music in Rome between the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries

Abstract

Between the Seventeenth and Eighteenth century, scenography represents a profitable source of work for architects in Rome, and a great opportunity to get in touch with a noble and international clientele. Numerous studies have tackled the scenographies of public and private theaters in Rome, of the great machine for Quarantore and for the festival of the Chinea, of catafalques and triumphal arches, also thanks to the large volume of paintings and etchings representing them. However, the work of the architect- and of the array of craftsmen surrounding them- extends far beyond the design of the machines; squares, courtyards, halls and churches needed to be set up in order for the musician to perform and for the public to participate acconding to formalities stictly defined by the ceremonial.
This study aims to analyze the construction of stages and temporary choirs as a point of contact between performance practice and construction through the analysis of numerous examples provided by the celebrations staged by Cardinal Pietro Ottoboni, one of the most active patrons of sacred and profane performances between the end of the Seventeenth and the first half of the Eighteenth century.