This volume collects the results of two seminars, held in 2011 in Rome and in 2013 in Fribourg. A wide range of subjects is represented in the essays, ranging from the late sixteenth to the mid-eighteenth century. An essay leaves the city of Naples to compare the musical life of Naples with that of Palermo. Some essays address broad historical subjects: the aristocratic patronage at the time of the last Spanish viceroys; musical practice in convents and female conservatories in Naples, hitherto obscured by the fame of the male conservatories; the concerts for wind instruments of authors active in Naples, raising issues of attribution and analysis. Other essays dwell on individual composers, analyzing specific compositions and manuscripts. C...