The Obscured Pedagogical Influence of the Roman Partimento Manuscripts

The partimento was a hand-written leaflet that taught eighteenth-century Italian musicians how to compose. It is assumed that Italian influence on musical composition, although strong in the Renaissance and Baroque periods, ceased in the 18th century. Musical treatises like Rameau’s Traité de l’harmonie and Kirnberger’s Die Kunst des Reinen Satzes in der Musik were more widely disseminated. These treatises emphasized a new approach: one that focused on the chords in the music. The Partimento’s influence mostly stayed in Italy, being passed down from teacher to student. This resulted in a distinctive Italian style of composition in the 18th century