NAPOLI ARAGONESE
On February 26, 1443, Neapolitans witnessed an event which was to be crucial in the history of their city, namely the triumphal entry of Alfonso I "el Magnanimo", first Aragonese king of Naples.
The most obvious consequence of the interest of the two sovereigns in music was the expansion of the Cappella Reale. Already by 1451, the Royal chapel was the largest in Italy, comprising a minimum of 21 singers, 2 organists, 1 organ builder, 5 boys and 2 maestri di capella.
Many of the musicians came from the Aragonese chapels of Spain. Including the non-singing clerks and the boys, numbers in the chapel in 1498 reached 44. In 1494, for the coronation of Alfonso II, a Neapolitan chronicler recorded the presence of 46 'schiate' and 10 'bifare' cornets, not to mention 12 drums together with lutes, harps and sackbuts. Of particular renown were the many court organs set in the 'music rooms' specially built in Castelcapuano, in Castelnuovo and in the Capella di Santa Barbara.
The most obvious consequence of the interest of the two sovereigns in music was the expansion of the Cappella Reale. Already by 1451, the Royal chapel was the largest in Italy, comprising a minimum of 21 singers, 2 organists, 1 organ builder, 5 boys and 2 maestri di capella.
Many of the musicians came from the Aragonese chapels of Spain. Including the non-singing clerks and the boys, numbers in the chapel in 1498 reached 44. In 1494, for the coronation of Alfonso II, a Neapolitan chronicler recorded the presence of 46 'schiate' and 10 'bifare' cornets, not to mention 12 drums together with lutes, harps and sackbuts. Of particular renown were the many court organs set in the 'music rooms' specially built in Castelcapuano, in Castelnuovo and in the Capella di Santa Barbara.
http://www.sonusantiqva.org/i/M/Micrologus/2000NapoliAragonese.html
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