{"product_id":"child-composers-in-the-old-conservatories-how-orphans-became-elite-musicians-9780190653590","title":"Child Composers in the Old Conservatories: How Orphans Became Elite Musicians","description":"In seventeenth century Italy, overcrowding, violent political uprising, and plague led an astonishing number of abandoned and orphaned children to overwhelm the cities. Out of the piety of private citizens and the apathy of local governments, the system of \u003cem\u003econservatori\u003c\/em\u003e was created to house, \u003cbr\u003enurture, and train these \u003cem\u003efanciulli vaganti\u003c\/em\u003e (roaming children) to become hatters, shoemakers, tailors, goldsmiths, cabinet makers, and musicians - a range of practical trades that might sustain them and enable them to contribute to society. \u003cem\u003eConservatori\u003c\/em\u003e were founded across Italy, from Venice and\u003cbr\u003eFlorence to Parma and Naples, many specializing in a particular trade. Four music \u003cem\u003econservatori\u003c\/em\u003e in Naples gained particular renown for their exceptional training of musicians, both performers and composers, all boys. By the eighteenth century, the graduates of the Naples conservatories began to\u003cbr\u003espread across Europe, with some 600 boys formerly in residence beginning to dominate the European musical world. Other conservatories in the country - including the Paris Conservatory - began to imitate the principles of the Naples' conservatory's training, known as the \u003cem\u003epartimento\u003c\/em\u003e tradition. The\u003cbr\u003edaily lessons and exercises associated with this tradition were largely lost-until author Robert Gjerdingen discovered evidence of them in the archives of conservatories across Italy and the rest of Europe. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eCompellingly narrated and richly illustrated, \u003cem\u003eChild Composers in the Old Conservatory\u003c\/em\u003e follows the story of these boys as they undergo rigorous training with the conservatory's \u003cem\u003emaestri\u003c\/em\u003e and eventually become \u003cem\u003emaestri\u003c\/em\u003e themselves, then moves forward in time to see the influence of partimenti in the\u003cbr\u003etraining of such composers as Claude Debussy and Colette Boyer. Advocating for the revival of \u003cem\u003epartimenti\u003c\/em\u003e in modern music education, the book explores the tremendous potential of this tradition to enable natural musical fluency for students of all ages learning the craft today.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRobert Gjerdingen\u003c\/strong\u003e is Professor of Music at Northwestern University's School of Music.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Oxford University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50369553563922,"sku":"9780190653590","price":50.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_f07796c7-1307-473d-99e6-041d438ff84d.jpg?v=1728526924","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/child-composers-in-the-old-conservatories-how-orphans-became-elite-musicians-9780190653590","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}