The program for the evening was:
The Venetians
Giuseppe Tartini (1692-1770)
Andante in G Major
Tomaso Albinoni (1671-1751)
Sinfonia a 4 per Archi in B flat Major
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
Concerto per Archi in D Major
The Neapolitans
Giovanni B. Pergolesi (1710-1736)
Sinfonia ‘O Frate ‘nnamurato
Intermission
Tommaso Giordani (1738-1806)
Piano Concerto in C Major
Allegro (video)
Larghetto (video)
Allego Spiritoso
The Dueling Kingdoms
In the days of Bach and Mozart, two of the most important cities in 
the world of music were Venice and Naples. Each city considered itself the most important, and to win this war of fame, each raised a small army of trained musicians. Both armies were made up of orphans and foundlings, Venice choosing to train girls, and Naples only boys.
In Naples, benefactors set up institutions to rescue young boys —“conservatories.” There, boys were taught useful trades, and some conservatories taught music. The music conservatories became so well known that eventually wealthy families paid for their sons to attend.
As students progressed, they could be placed in Neapolitan orchestras, opera houses, and churches. Through income earned and sent back to the conservatories, better teachers could be hired, who in turn could attract better students.
According to Professor Robert Gjerdingen, Northwestern University, “The Neapolitan Masters were the most famous classical musicians of the 17th and 18th centuries. They were hired and traded like star baseball players between the competing royal courts in Europe.”
In Venice, the concern was primarily to teach orphaned girls. As early as the 14th century, there were four functioning schools called ospedali.
By the 17th century, the ospedali had achieved fame for vocal and instrumental musicianship. Well known composers like Antonio Lotti and Alessandro Scarlatti served as musical directors. But, the ospedali will forever be associated with Antonio Vivaldi (1675–1741). It was at the Ospedale della Pietá that Vivaldi composed works for chorus and concertos.
The young ladies for whom Vivaldi composed and directed were known as the putte (maidens). By 1738, there were about a hundred putte in residence at the ospedali. The reputation of the putte drew visitors from all over Europe, including Pope Pius IV. The putte did not travel and were not allowed to perform outside the ospedali. The goal of the ospedali was to set the girls up in marriage, not in musical careers.
In that culture, professional female performers had very low social status, whereas maidens who married well would be among the social elite. So Naples eventually won the musical war, not by a musical victory, but through the strong social norms that encouraged professional status for the boys and discouraged it for the girls.
Posters: SSYO poster color redacted SSYO flyer black and whit
