Naples, Capital of Dance
The ‘feste di ballo' Tradition in the Long Eighteenth Century

Reveals how the sovereigns of Naples hosted social dance events for the aristocracy to project images of authority, power, and identity.

Anthony R. DelDonna (Author)

9781009440271, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 17 April 2025

262 pages
25 x 17.2 x 1.8 cm, 0.595 kg

Renowned as a city of entertainment, Naples was unequaled in eighteenth-century Italy for the diversity of its musical life. During the reigns of Carlo di Borbone and his heir Ferdinando IV, the sponsorship of feste di ballo, elaborate celebratory balls featuring social dance such as the minuet and contradance, grew increasingly lavish. Organized for carnevale, occasions of state, and personal celebrations in the lives of the royal family, the feste di ballo fostered both a public agenda and a personal rapport between the monarchs and local aristocracy. As the century progressed, the frequency of and resources accorded to the feste di ballo and its showcasing of social dance came to match those of stage drama and instrumental music. Based on extensive archival research, this book reveals the culture of social dance at the Bourbon court and how these spectacular events served to project images of authority, power, and identity.

List of figures
List of tables
List of music examples
Acknowledgements
Introduction: Naples: networks of culture
1. Celebratory balls in the Kingdom of Naples
2. The politics of place and spheres of power
3. Seasons of Feste: 1737 and 1747
4. The dance treatise in the Age of Reason
5. Seasons of splendor: from the capital city to the Reggia di Caserta
6. A return to the capital
7. Dietro le quinte e tra le pagine: music, musicians, and Maestri di ballo
8. The Neapolitan Feste di Ballo as (historical) soundscape
Bibliography
Index.

Subject Areas: Dance [ASD]