The centrality of women in the Sicilian culture of the past centuries has long been recognized. This centrality emerges particularly for the female figures confined within the walls of the convents. In fact, although they were deprived of their voice, Palermo’s women tried to take it back through music. The latter was considered both as a practical exercise as well as in terms of musical patronage, in other words as a means of promoting important events, not only within the female communities, but also in relation to the most prestigious male institutions. Far from exhausting the subject, the contribution aims is to give a general overview of the situation concerning Palermo’s ecclesiastic institutions, presenting here the results of lengthy archival research and laying the groundwork for a further in-depth study. From an overall point of view, the general impression is that women were excluded from musical practice. This hypothesis is strongly suggested by the long lists of musicians reported in the account books of the religious orders of Palermo. Such musicians could be professional or amateurs, permanent or itinerant, but they still belonged to the male sex. However, after a closer examination, it becomes clear that the communities of women also cultivated musical activities, although the sources never mention these mysterious female performers. On the contrary, the surviving documents attest to their collaboration with professional musicians expressly hired from outside the community for the most important occasions or in the permanent service of the institution.
La centralità della donna nella cultura siciliana dei secoli passati è ormai da tempo riconosciuta. Tale centralità emerge particolarmente per le figure femminili confinate all’interno delle mura dei monasteri. Di fatto, nonostante venissero “private” della loro voce, le donne palermitane se ne riappropriavano attraverso la musica, intesa sia come esercizio pratico sia come promozione e committenza di importanti iniziative musicali, non solo all’interno delle comunità femminili, ma pure in relazione alle più prestigiose istituzioni maschili. Ben lungi dell'esaurire l’argomento, il contributo intende fornire un quadro generale della situazione nelle istituzioni ecclesiastiche di Palermo, presentando i frutti di una lunga ricerca e ponendo le basi per ulteriori doverosi approfondimenti. L’impressione generale sembrerebbe escludere le donne dall’esercizio musicale, idea suggerita dal folto elenco di musici nominati nelle chiese degli ordini palermitani, professionisti o meno, stabili o itineranti, ma pur sempre appartenenti al sesso maschile. In realtà da una disamina più attenta emerge come anche le comunità femminili coltivassero le attività musicali, ma senza che i libri contabili forniscano i nomi di queste misteriose figure di esecutrici, certificando piuttosto la collaborazione con musici professionisti chiamati dall’esterno o al servizio stabile dell’istituzione.
Ilaria Grippaudo (2015). Donne e musica nelle istituzioni religiose di Palermo fra Rinascimento e Barocco. In A. Bonsante, R.M. Pasquandrea (a cura di), Celesti Sirene II. Musica e monachesimo dal Medioevo all’Ottocento (pp. 429-470). Barletta : Cafagna Editore.
Donne e musica nelle istituzioni religiose di Palermo fra Rinascimento e Barocco
Ilaria Grippaudo
Primo
2015-01-01
Abstract
The centrality of women in the Sicilian culture of the past centuries has long been recognized. This centrality emerges particularly for the female figures confined within the walls of the convents. In fact, although they were deprived of their voice, Palermo’s women tried to take it back through music. The latter was considered both as a practical exercise as well as in terms of musical patronage, in other words as a means of promoting important events, not only within the female communities, but also in relation to the most prestigious male institutions. Far from exhausting the subject, the contribution aims is to give a general overview of the situation concerning Palermo’s ecclesiastic institutions, presenting here the results of lengthy archival research and laying the groundwork for a further in-depth study. From an overall point of view, the general impression is that women were excluded from musical practice. This hypothesis is strongly suggested by the long lists of musicians reported in the account books of the religious orders of Palermo. Such musicians could be professional or amateurs, permanent or itinerant, but they still belonged to the male sex. However, after a closer examination, it becomes clear that the communities of women also cultivated musical activities, although the sources never mention these mysterious female performers. On the contrary, the surviving documents attest to their collaboration with professional musicians expressly hired from outside the community for the most important occasions or in the permanent service of the institution.File | Dimensione | Formato | |
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