The reputation that Paris enjoyed for elegance and culture also attracted many foreign visitors to the city, who carried the French style to their own countries. While Italian opera was occasionally performed, French-language serious and comic opera predominated. The city’s most famous concert series was the Concert Spirituel, founded by Anne-Danican Philidor (1681–1728) in 1725. By the middle of the century, the mainly sacred repertory had expanded to include instrumental and secular works. Although the music and musicians were predominantly French, Italian opera virtuosos and German orchestral players performed as well, effectively disseminating foreign music and styles.

Naples was the largest city in Italy in the eighteenth century and one of its leading musical centres. Its conservatories attracted musicians from all over Italy and Europe. There were no public concerts, although there were private celebrations and religious festivals and, from 1777, the Accademia de’ Cavalieri, which put on concerts for its members and their guests. The connections between opera seria and the court were particularly close, and Neapolitan tastes were recognized as being old-fashioned for much of the second half of the century.

Styles & Forms | Classical Era | Classical
Influences | Turkish Sounds | Classical Era | Classical