Nicola Sala’s Regole del contrappunto pratico (1794): History, Theory, and Practice

Abstract

The author of the article turns to the forgotten and little known treatise, Regole del contrappunto pratico (1794) by Neapolitan composer and teacher Nicola Sala (1713–1801) and examines it in the historical-cultural, theoretical and practical aspects. Emphasis is made of the important
role played by the tutorial discipline of counterpoint, which presented the final stage of the course of composition instruction in Neapolitan conservatories. It is noted that Sala’s treatise has become
the sole published work of its kind reflecting the theory and practice of counterpoint in Naples during the second half of the 18th century. On the basis of the preserved memoirs of the archivist of the conservatory library, Giuseppe Sigismondo and British music historian Charles Burney, a critical evaluation of the prehistory and the stages of creation of the treatise is made, and the various vicissitudes that hampered its publication and dissemination are revealed. The tragic events in the history of Naples that took place in 1799 lead to virtually a complete destruction of the etchings and print copies of the Regole, which, in its turn, served as an impulse for its rejuvenation outside of Italy, in particular, in France. In lieu of this, the question is raised about the role of Sala and, to take it further, of the Neapolitan masters in the formation of the French professional musical education. 

Keywords: counterpoint, Neapolitan conservatories, Nicola Sala, Regole del contrappunto pratico, Alexandre-Étienne Choron, instruction in composition in the 18th century