When I left England I had two objects in view: the one was to get from the Libraries & the viva voce Conversation of the Learned what information I cd relative to the Music of the ancients - & the other was to Judge wth my own Ears of the present State of Modern Music in the places thro' wch I shd pass from the Performance & Conversation of the first Musicians in Italy... At Turin I often saw & conversed wth the famous Padre Beccaria - & the 2 Bezozzi's not only performed to me for near Two Hours but were Friendly all the Time I was there - I found some things I wanted too in the King's Library - at Milan Padre Boscovich, Padre Frisier, Sigr Oltrocchi Ambrosian Librarian, D. Triulzi, the Abbate Bonelli - Padre Sacchi, il Conte Po &c - & on the side of practical Music the famous San Martini, Lampugnani, il Padre Maestro Florione, of the Duomo &c - ...[A]t Padua... I found yr Frd Dr Marsili Cav. Valcinieri - Padre Colombo - padre Vallotti - Maestro di Capella al Santo, one of the greatest Composers for the Church now alive - & on the side of practice Sigr Guglietti, poor Tartini's scholar & successor at St. Anthony's Church, from whom I got the last drop of his Pen, or in other words, the last solo he Composed.... [...] [In Florence] I was almost every Night at an Academia in the House of the famous improvisatrice Corilla - the first rate Practical Musicians I found here, were Mansoli, Nardini, Campioni, Dotel Figlio &c - by the Time I got to Rome my Italian Acquaintance & Letters were much accumulated...As to the music of the Pope's Chapel, I shall be enabled to speak of it from the best authority my own Eyes & Ears can afford - Sigr Santarelli the pope's Maestro di Capella has loaded me with Civility & Friendly offices - is now getting made out for me Copies of the best Compositions that are in constant use in the Pope's Chapel - I have found out the Music of the 1st Opera & 1st Oratorio that ever were set to Music - the D. of Dorset had a very good Concert every Night, & took a great deal of Pains to get Curious & Clever performers together often on my Acct - I was presented to Cardinal Alessandro Albani... << less