‘Musico Napolitano’—An online biographical index of music professions in Naples

For centuries, the city of Naples was a meeting point for musicians from different parts of Italy and Europe. Particularly during the two centuries of Spanish, and subsequent Austrian, domination, from the early 16th to the early 18th centuries, the intense circulation of music and musicians gave rise to the reputation of Naples as an important musical centre. However, an organic reconstruction of the musical activities, and especially of the movement of musicians between different institutions, both civil and religious, is still lacking. The 'Musico Napolitano' online biographical index, a database to be hosted by the University of Fribourg, aims to gather and establish connections between the large amount of varied biographical data contained in sources such as chronicles, account books, deeds, institutional documents, correspondence etc. Information is classed in different indices, including transcribed names (as in the source), standardized names, institutions and professions (a 'fuzzy search' function permits retrieval of data despite the different spellings of personal names in historical sources). The development of personalized visualizations of data subsets (for example, using the city map) is also envisaged. The 'individuals' appearing in the database are not only musicians in a strict sense (singers, instrumentalists, composers, choirmasters), but also those belonging to those related professions (librettists, impresarios etc.) that are essential to the reconstrution of the network of musical and theatrical activities in Naples. A continually updated simple reference index, open to further contributors, and giving access to detailed biographical information for each person, allows the mapping of the presence, integration and mobility of music personnel in the urban texture of Naples.