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Rosa Cafiero
The traditionof the Neapolitan school of composition (in which the partimentoand its teaching techniques played a significant role) had a major influence on musical training in Paris from the second half of the
eighteenth centurythroughthe first half of the nineteenth century.This article focuses first on some significant
Abstract
witnesses of this era (Fedele Fenaroliand EmanueleImbimbo,who followed the school of FrancescoDurante)and
then on an interpretationof the traditionallynonverbalrules of partimentiproposed by Franois-JosephFtis.
schools?
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138
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13 The musical rules, as far as we know from Fenaroli himself in a letter sent to King Ferdinand IV of Bourbon (1802),
were intended to instruct pupils both in figured playing
(sonare numerico) and in counterpoint. In this letter (Naples,
State Archive, fund Ministry of Internal Affairs, II inventory,
bundle 5182, published and described in Cafiero 1993a,
552), Fenaroli asked the king to appoint him director of all
Neapolitan conservatories, after Niccol Piccinni's death.
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We have decided to bring out the six books of partimenti of Mr. Fenaroli of
Naples, zealous partisan of the school of Durante in which he trained. It is on
these principles, reviewed and augmented by Fenaroli himself, that students
study at the royal conservatory of Naples, not only to learn accompaniment but
also to open the path to the rules of counterpoint. And we publish them, as is
our duty, without any alteration, being the system that distinguishes the Neapolitan School, which has produced so many celebrated composers in Europe,
whose works in all genres will pass to posterity as models of the art and of good
taste, and whose names will never perish, in spite of their detractors.19
Imbimbo traces the main stages of the course (scale, intervals, chords),
reminding his readers that most instructions concerning instrumental performing techniques can be found elsewhere. His goal is to propose the "true
principles" of a coherent musical style:
Nonetheless it seemed indispensable for us to explain certain passages relating
to the scale, to intervals, and to chords, with the goal of expanding and updating the little book of MusicalRulespublished in Naples, and by the same author
Fenaroli, which leave to the teacher the task of making the fingers negotiate
the keys of the harpsichord, because he felt it was unnecessary to treat a subject
where there already exist numerous treatises on the mechanical aspect of playing this instrument. At the same time, we hope that the public would agree with
our intention, which has no goal but the advancement of dedicated pupils, and
the support of an art that, though degenerated in our own day by the mixing
of styles, will rise again, shining and pure, in happier times and following the
true principles.20(Fenaroli and Imbimbo 1814a,VIII)
The harmonization of the scale is a turning point as far as the application of
the rules is concerned. When Choron and Vincenzo Fiocchi (who assisted
Choron) had to choose among the examples of the "classical" masters of the
Italian schools, they chose to quote Durante as the highest authority (see
Example 1).
Imbimbo proposes two examples to illustrate the ascending and descending major and minor scales (see Examples 2 and 3) . As far as the fifth degree
leurs dtracteurs."
vrais principes."
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22 Ne cessons pas cependant de bien recommander ceux
qui le professent de conserver dans leurs compositions la
clart et la simplicit de l'cole napolitaine, et de s'loigner
entirement de ces modulations harmoniques instrumentales qui ne sont que bizarres, bruyantes et souvent barbares, et dont on se glorifie tant aujourd'hui, au grand abus
et dtriment de la mlodie, puisque plusieurs sensations
simulanes produisant la confusion, ne donnent ni plaisir, ni
aucune ide prcise de ce qu'on entend; d'o il arrive que
l'ame agite, tourmente, fatigue de ne rien comprendre,
s'ennuie sans pouvoir jouir. Une musique trop complique
se perd dans le labyrinthe de l'oreille. La vraie musique
est celle qui pntre les voies du coeur sige de toutes
les passions. Varier de mode et de rhytme sans ncessit,
prodiguer les accords, s'enforcer, enfin, de produire une
harmonie sans unit de penses, prouve dans un compositeur l'absence du gnie. Deux seules notes d'inspiration et
bien excutes suffisent pour produire le plus grand effet,
et c'est en quoi consiste le Sublime de l'art."
23 "Un des exercises de l'cole de musique tablie
Naples est de donner aux jeunes gens qui ont fait des progrs dans les Partimenti et dans le Contrepoint, un Basso
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147
If a young man wishes to make progress in the rules of partimenti and counterpoint, he will begin by practicing the scale, creating against it melodies of a
single voice, first in note-against-note counterpoint, and then with more
notes - and of different values- per each note of the scale. He will continue his
exercises by placing above the same scale a florid counterpoint of two voices,
first with consonances only, and then with dissonances between them. And he
will do the same thing with three and four voices, not only with brief notes but
also with long ones. He will retain the same scale as a subject, and he will
modulate the other parts along with it, inverting the intervals.24
Eventually, the student will build up a bassofugato (or a ricercare)based
on the partimento, taking care of both contrapuntal and harmonic invention,
without excessive effects (Fenaroli and Imbimbo 1814b, 18) :25
A young man wishing to notate in score a basso fugato or a ricercare from partimenti should make use of the clefs designated by the partimento's author, or
replace those he judges more appropriate. He will notate the subject (proposta)
and answer (risposta)of each part, and if there is a counter subject he will examine it to see where it should be introduced. He will fill in the void of harmony
between the parts, occasionally giving the parts pauses so that they can reenter
with more force. He will carefully observe the notes that bring about a change
of key (mode). He will seek out double counterpoints, canons, inversions, imitations, episodes, and strettos of the fugue. Lastly,in addition to the bassocantante
(the vocal bass notated in the partimento), he ought to invent, if possible, a
basso continuo, simple or complex, that not only serves as an accompaniment,
but also participates with the other parts in the texture of the harmony, to
which that bass will sometimes join the bassocantanteor the voice that replaces
it. (Fenaroli and Imbimbo 1814b, 17)26
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148
cello, Scarlatti, Durante, Leo, Pergolesi, and Jommelli, all grand masters in
melody and in harmony."27Melody and harmony, that is, the art of "singing"
("Le bon got de la musique drive du chant, et pour bien composer, il faut
savoirchanter";Fenaroli and Imbimbo 1814b, 19), joined to the art of accompanying, make up an ideal, "natural"combination (Imbimbo 1821, 44-45):
Our old masters,withoutstrayingfrom the rules, knewwell how to calculate
the effect and the impressionsthat a melody,accompaniedbut not tormented
by harmony,can makeon the soul. It is so true that the people in Italy,moved
bya beautifulpiece of music,yetwithoutknowinganymusicalnotation,retain
in the mind the mosthappyfeaturesof an air that theyhavejust heard.. . .
Melodyand harmonyarelikewisegivento us bynature,butwiththis difference:melody,daughterof the imagination,and whatI regardas the mobile
aspectof all music,beingfree in its progress,existsand shineson its own,while
harmony,the resultof calculation,existsandshinesonlythroughthe combination of severalmelodies,of whichit is composed.Nowthe principleof pleasure
thatwe essay,derivingfromthatadmirableunion of melodywithharmony,and
the rules of musicupholdthe sameprinciple;anytime that one straysfromit,
the musicis no longernatural,the expressionis lacking,and the soul takesno
joy in it. These abuseshavemanifestedthemselvesin all eras.28
The Neapolitan school (and the Durantist tradition)
as viewed (and reflected) by Franois-Joseph Ftis
Franois-JosephFtis, famous Parisianwriter on music and future head of the
Belgian national conservatory, focused his attention on two related "Italian
schools" of harmonic accompaniment: a Roman one (traditionallyassociated
with Bernardo Pasquini) and a Neapolitan one (linked to Alessandro Scarlatti) . Both schools emphasize a style that pays close attention to all voices,
each of which need to "singin an elegant manner" (Ftis 1840, 53; Arlin 1994,
47; Cafiero 2001a):
In Italy,things remainedin this state29with respectto harmonictheoryuntil
the end of the seventeenthcentury.But the practiceof accompanimentmade
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149
considerableprogress,particularlyin the schoolsof Pasquiniin RomeandAlessandroScarlattiin Naples.Fortheirstudents,these greatmasterswrotenumerous figuredbasses,to whichthe namepartimentiwas
given.Insteadof striking
chords,followingthe Frenchand Germanusage,these mastersdemandedthat
the accompanisthaveall the accompanimentpartssing in an elegantmanner.
In this connection,the Italiansmaintainedan incontestablesuperiorityin the
artof accompanyingfor a long time.30
Ftis cites Durante as the turning point between the Roman and the
Neapolitan traditions (Ftis 1865, 3:88-89):
. Less
Durante's makeupwasverydifferentfrom that of his master [Scarlatti]
in
and
in
social
timid
character
full of ideas,cold bytemperament,
position,in
boldness
of
dramatic
Durante
to
the
short, a completestranger
genius,
portrayedin musicthe devotionof his religioussentiments,the clarityof his conception,the pure tasteand respectfor the traditionsof the schoolwhichcharacterizehis talent.Evenif he did not go to Rome,he obviouslymadea serious
studyof the mastersof the Romanschool,andhisworkhadthe aimof introducing the more severeformsto the Neapolitanschool. Suchwas his role in the
directionthat the art took in Naplesduringthe eighteenthcentury.Thus one
sees thathe wasin no wayan apprenticeof GaetanoGrecoand Scarlatti;a reading of his scores demonstratesthat he was changed under the influence of
Romangenius.31
General principles that derived from the naturedes chosesplay a primary role
in Durante's doctrine, in which Ftis- adapting a concept already focused on
by Choron (Simms 1975, 119; Schellhous 1991, 224-25)- finds the basis of
tonality (Ftis 1865, 3:88-89):
This master[Durante]is deemed the most expert professorthat the Neapolitan schooleverhad. It would,however,be an errorto believethathis expertise
wasfoundedon a cleardoctrine,whereall the factswouldhavebeen deduced
fromgeneralprinciplesdrawnfromthe natureof things.Therewasneveranything like it in the schoolsof Italy.The method of instructionhad, as its only
basis,a school traditionemanatingfar more from feeling than from reason.
30 "Les choses restrent en cet tat en Italie jusqu' la fin
du dix-septime sicle, l'gard de la thorie de l'harmonie;
mais la pratique de l'accompagnement fit de grands progrs, particulirement dans les coles de Pasquini, Rome,
et d'Alexandre Scarlatti, Naples. Ces grands musiciens
crivirent pour leurs lves beaucoup de basses chiffres
auxquelles on donna le nom de partimenti: au lieu d'y faire
plaquer des accords, suivant l'usage des Franais et des
Allemands, ces matres exigeaient que l'accompagnateur
fit chanter d'une manire lgante toutes les parties de
l'accompagnement. Sous ce rapport, les Italiens conservrent long-temps une incontestable supriorit dans
l'art d'accompagner." See Cafiero 2001a.
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150
Comparedto thisaugusttradition,Ftisleviesveryseverejudgmentson
Fenaroli'sRules.For Ftisthey are no more than anachronistic,simple,and
empirical(Ftis1840,131-32;Jenni 1992,456), whoseonlyaimseemsto be a
synthetic,pedagogicalreformulationof Durante's theories(Ftis1840, 143):
"Wecannot consider the [Regolemusicaliperi principiantidi cembalo,nelsonarcoi
numerie per i principiantidi contrappunto(Naples: Mazzola, 1775)] of Fenaroli
as the expos of a harmonictheory.It is only a practicaloutline of the tradition, purebutoutmoded,of Durante'sschool;it did not representthe current
state of the art."33In his Traitcompletde la thorieet de la pratiquede l'harmonie
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151
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152
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153
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154
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Rosa Cafiero is researcher in history of music and musicology at the Universit Cattolica del Sacro
Cuore in Milan. She is the author of numerous essays on the history of Italian music theory in the
eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. G**
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159