The San Giuseppe dei Nudi Archconfraternity Musical Collection, Naples

Abstract

The San Giuseppe dei Nudi archive is a unique source about Neapolitan lay confraternities’ significant activity in music and art. Its huge archive sheds light on sacred music production, commissioning, and performance practice from the mid-18^th century through the entire 19^th century. A chronology can be established of its chapel masters, including one well-known name—Giovanni Paisiello. The main link between him and the archconfraternity is a more-than-century-old performance tradition of his Missa defunctorum (1799). The archive hosts copies, transcriptions, and reworkings of it, alongside original works by several composers (F. Cinque, V.G. Millico, C. De Nardis). Documents indicating the instrumentation employed, especially to perform Paisiello’s works, attest to the evolution of musical taste between the late 18^th century and early 20^th century.