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24 LOWELL LINDGREN AND COLTN TIMMS In the transcriptions, the original spelling is retained, except where the letters 3' and 'U' are equi- valent to today's 'i' and 'v', in which case it is modernized. Punctuation, capitalization and accents have been tacitly modernized. Modernization thus removes or shifts the position of many commas and lowers the upper-case letters on everyday nouns. Initial lower-case letters are raised for the formal 'you' and 'your' (e.g., 'Ella', 'Lei', 'La', 'Sua', 'Suoi', 'L'assicura'). In raising such lower-case letters, the editors are disobeying Steffani's requests for an informal style of address (see nos. 3, 4, 8 and 38, below), but they do so in order to conform to modern style, which serves to identify the addressee by means of a capital letter. Italic type is used for the expansion of scribal abbreviations. In many letters the addressee is for- mally referred to as 'V. S. Ill.ma'. In each transcription, the first example of this abbreviation is expanded to 'Vostra Signoria Illustrissima' ('your most illustrious lordship'); at its second and subse- quent appearances, 'V. S. Ill.""' is retained and the translation is abbreviated to 'your m. i. lordship'. Similarly, 'Sua Maesta' ('his' or 'her majesty') and 'Sua Altezza' ('his' or 'her highness') are expanded only the first time they occur in a letter; thereafter the abbreviations 'S. M.' and 'S. A.' are given. Since 'Monsieur', 'Madame', 'Mr' and other titles customarily begin with a capital letter, 'Signor' and 'Signora' have been capitalized in the transcriptions, even though these words often begin with a lower-case letter in the sources. Scribes usually shortened 'Signor' to 'Sig.' or 'Sig."'; we have ignored the superscript 'e' and rendered both abbreviations as 'Signor'. To mark the beginning of a new paragraph, the letter-writers usually began a new line or left an exceptionally long gap on the current line; when they embarked on a new topic without such a paragraph marker, we tacitly divide their paragraph in our transcription. One example is the closing salutation, where they normally, but not always, begin a new paragraph; we always do. The translations match the transcriptions in using modern punctuation and capitals but differ from them in modernizing the spelling of proper names. Editorial glosses or additions are placed in square brackets. After each transcription we offer comments on the published extracts, followed by summaries of the omissions indicated by ellipses (. . .). The omitted passages are concerned almost exclusively with political or religious affairs. In our summary of an omitted passage, we place in square brackets any proper name or title not provided by the letter-writer. Prelude, A-K: The SchonbornSteffani Correspondence The eleven cited letters date from June 1719 to October 1721. Their sixteen-month span thus begins during the summer when Riva first met Steffani in Hanover, encompasses nos. 1-20 in their correspondence and embraces letters L-Q from Pallavicini to Riva. In letters A-B, D-I and K, Schonborn, the newly elected bishop of Wurzburg, beseeches Steffani to send him some of his vocal duets and to find three good Italian singers for his chapel choir. Steffani asked at least two other people for help with the latter request: Riva (see nos. 4-6, below) and Carlo Luigi Pietragrua (see letter J, below). Letter C is Steffani's only extant reply to these letters from the new bishop, and it is the only letter given complete in this part of the Prelude. Schonborn's signature is omitted, except after the extract from letter A. The two friends continued their correspondence after October 1721, so letter K is followed by a summary of the bishop's reactions to his newly acquired singers and duets. Schonborn's letters survive in a volume without foliation, and no folio numbers have been added below. Letters J and K are reproduced in facsimile, as Ills. 1 and 2. THE CORRESPONDENCE OF AGOSTINO STEFFANI AND GIUSEPPE RIVA, 172G1728 25 A. Schonborn to Steffani Wiirzburg, 22 June 1719 [N.S., Thursday] . . . I am eager to give free rein to the passion that I continue to nourish for music, and, since I can never forget the sweet taste of the harmonies of your most illustrious and most reverend lordship, I beg you to provide new nourishment for this, my passion, and new life for my small orchestra, by honouring me with some of your duets, those most worthy creations of your peerless talent. . . . Your most humble, devoted and obliged servant, Johann Philipp, Count Schonborn . . . Ardisco dar scampo alla mia passione, che di continuo nutrisco per la musica, e, non potendo scordarmi mai delle dolcezze del gusto armonioso di Vostra Signoria Illustrissima e Reverendissima, supplicarLa di voler dare nuovo nutriment0 a questa mia passione e uuova vita alla mia piccola orchestra, col'honorarmi di qualche Suoi duetti, parti degnissimi d'una virtii senza paragone . . .. Umilissimo, devotissimo servitore obligatissimo, Giov. Filip. Conte di Schonborn I-Rscge Fondo Spiga, vol. 29. Johann Philipp Franz, Count Schonborn, always wrote 'Erbipoli', the Latin name for his city of residence; we have replaced this with 'Wiirzburg', the German name, in our headings. In his signature he usually abbreviated his given names; when they are written out in Italian (e.g., at the end of letter F), they are 'Giovanni Filippo Francesco'. His names are followed by either his old title, 'Conte di Schonborn', or his new one, 'Vescovo d'Erbipoli' ('Bishop of Wurzburg'). B. Schonborn to Steffani Wiirzburg, 4 December 1719 [Monday] My most manifest obligations to you are continually being augmented by the repeated kindness with which your most illustrious lordship so graciously favours me. I have new evidence of this in your kind offer to send me some of your duets. I will be most grateful for all that you wish to send, since I am utterly deprived of those I already had, having given them to Count Stadion, who never returned them to me. I therefore await their arrival with great anticipation . . .. Vengono sempre aumentate le mie distintissime obligazioni dalla continuata bonta di Vostra Signoria Illustrissima della quale con tanta finezza mi favorisce. Ne ricevo una nuova testimonianza nell'offerta che Le[i] ha piaciuto farmi d'alcuni Suoi dueti. Mi saranno gratissimi tutti quelli, che vorra mandarmi, mentre resto intieramente privo di quelli che gia ebbi, havendoli dati a1 Signor Conte di Stadion, da cui non mi furono mai restituiti. Gli aspetto dunque con gran desiderio . . .. I-Rscge Fondo Spiga, vol. 29. Friedrich, Count von Stadion (1691-1768), was born in Wurzburg and educated in Mainz; in 17 18 he obtained a government appointment in Tauberbischofsheim (Walther Killy and Rudolf Vierhaus, eds., Deutsche Biographische Enzyklopadie (Munich, 1995-2000), ix, 428). C. Steffani to Schonborn Hanover, 30 April 1720 [Tuesday, in Bossis' hand] I should write a volume of very obsequious excuses for having gone so long before bowing to your most reverend highness, and for waiting from one day to the next before sending you the news that I have arrived here to obey the sovereign commands of Our Lord [Pope Clement XI] and to satisfy the wishes of the Sacred Congregation [for the Propagation of the
26 LOWELL LINDGREN AND COLIN TIMMS THE CORRESPONDENCE OF AGOSTINO STEFFANI AND GIUSEPPE RIVA, 172C1728 27 Faith], and thus depriving myself of the precious honour of the comments of your highness, since you did not know where to send them. I should, I know, beg your obsequious pardon, if it were not for the fact that I did the wrong to myself. I should, however, hope to obtain forgiveness from the generous goodness of your highness, when you consider that I arrived here at the end of Passion week, and then, for the consolation of this numerous community, performed during Holy Week and the ensuing feast of Easter all the solemn liturgical functions in this my new church, with all the freedom that could be desired, and the greatest possible tranquillity, which perhaps had not been seen here for some centuries [i.e., since pre-Reformation days]. The rest of my time [from Easter] to now has been consumed by my recovery from a violent attack of my usual illness and by my efforts to restore calm in the aforesaid community, which had been extremely convulsed by the malice of others. These are the reasons why I was unable before today to remind your highness of my long- standing and profound respect, and to tell you that, as a token of this, preparations are currently being made for the copying of [my] duets, and since I expect the remainder of the sins of my youth [to arrive here] in a few days, your highness will be able to decide whether you want more of them, because you already know that there is nothing in my power that is not at your most absolute disposition. I was hoping to be, as they say, overjoyed to bring your highness what I shall instead have to send you, because it did not please His Holiness [Pope Clement XI] to grant me the grace that I have requested so insistently and constantly over the course of more than six months, to let me enjoy a little repose after so many travails, and allow me to live for myself after having lived fifty-five years for others. May your highness preserve for me the honour of your most precious protection, and believe as eternal and pure the most profound respect with which I am Your most reverend highness's [in Steffani's hand:] Most humble, most devoted and most obliged servant, [in Steffani's hand:] Agostino, bishop of Spiga. 10 dowei far un volume di ossequiosissime scuse d'essere stato si lungo tempo senza umiliarmi a Vostra Altezza Reverendissima, e differendo da un giorno all'altro di darLe notizia d'esser giunto qui, per ubbidire ai sowani commandi di Nostro Signore e sodisfare a1 desiderio della Sacra Congregatione, havermi privato del pretioso honore dei commandamenti dell'A. V. per non haver Ella potuto sapere ove indrizzarmeli. Dowei, dico, chiedergliene ossequioso perdono, se non fosse che il torto i! da me fatto a me medesimo. Per altro, io spererei d'ottenere dalla generosa bonta di V. A. il compatimento sul riflesso d'esser io arrivato qui sul fine della settimana di Passione, e di haver poi per consolazione di questa numerosa communita fatte durante la Settimana Santa e le seguenti feste di Pasqua tutte le fonzioni pontificali in questa mia nuova chiesa con tutta la piu desiderabile liberta, e tutta la maggior tranquillita, il che forse non si era veduto da qualche sec010 in qua. [p. 21 I1 resto del mio tempo sin hora i! stato consumato nel liberarmi da un violente attacco delle mie habituali indisposizioni, e nel travagliare a rimettere in calma questa sopradetta communita, ch'era estremamente sconvolta dalla malizia altrui. Queste sono le cause per le quali non ho potuto prima d'hoggi ricordare a V. A. l'antico mio profondo rispetto, e dirgli per un contrasegno di esso che li duetti sono in pieno lavoro per essere copiati, e come fra pochi giorni aspetto qui il resto dei deliti della mia gioventu, potra 1'A. V. risolvere se altro ne desideri, poich6 gia sa che nulla v'ha in mia potesta che non sia a Sua assolutissima dispositione. 10 mi lusingavo d'haver a toccar il cielo col dito, sperando poter portar io medesimo all'A. V. cib che mi converra mandarLe, ma non ha piacciuto a Sua Santita [p. 31 il farmi la grazia che ho chiesta con tanta instanza e constantemente nel corso di piu di sei mesi, di lasciarmi godere un poco di riposo doppo tanti travagli, e permettermi di vivere a me stesso doppo haver vissuto cinquanta cinque anni per altri. V. A. mi conservi l'honore della Sua pretiosissima protezzione, e creda eterno e senza macchia il profondissimo ossequio con cui sono Di V. A. Reverendissima, [in Steffani's hand:] Umilissimo, devotissimo obbligatissimo sewitore, [in Steffani's hand:] Agostino, Vescovo di Spiga D- WD Schonborn Archive (housed in D- WUS~), Johann Philipp Franz, vol. 425. Steffani was also to describe his compositions as 'sins of my youth' in no. 44, below. D. Schonborn to Steffani Wiirzburg, 27 July 1720 [Saturday] . . . As for the musical works, which with singular goodness you destine for me, I beg you to send them to one of the two persons whose addresses are enclosed. I await the works with impatience. I doubt not their excellence, for I have the good fortune to know the sublime virtue and merit of the person who created them . . .. . . . Ma per quanto concerne le opere di musica, che con singolar bonta mi destina, La pregho di mandarle ad uno di quei due, dei quali va qui annesso l'indrizzo. Le aspetto con impazienza, non dubitando della lor eccellenza, poich6 ho la fortuna di conoscer la virtu ed il merito sublime del personaggio da cui provenghono . . .. I-Rscge Fondo Spiga, vol. 29. E. Schonborn to Steffani Bischofsheim, 27 August 1720 [Tuesday] I already declared in my last letters to your most illustrious and most reverend lordship how welcome will be the duets that you intend to send me; the greater the satisfaction with which I receive them, the more shall I esteem the work of such an eminent virtuoso. Your m. i. and reverend lordship knows that I take great delight in music and that I often spend an hour or two on it when I am free from my responsibilities. Despite my love of music, I freely confess that my chapel choir is now very weak. Not to speak of other deficiences, I lack a good soprano and an alto, and although I should like to fill these vacancies with a pair of castratos, I am nevertheless reluctant to engage such singers because of the large sums of money they normally demand . . .. Gia palesai a Vostra Signoria Illustrissima e Reverendissima colle mie ultime, quanto mi saranno grati li duetti che destina d'inviarmi, li quali con tanto maggior sodisfazzione riceverh quanto piu stimo l'opera di si gran virtuoso. Sa V.a S.a Ill."" e Rev."" che assai mi diletto della musica, e vi passo tal volta un horetta che mi resta libera dalle occupazioni. Ma confess0 tuttavia che la mia capella fin adesso i! molto diffettuosa. Senza parlar del resto, vi manca un buon soprano e contr'alto; e bench6 desiderarei d'aver un par0 di castrati per supplire a1 diffetto, nondimeno differisco di pigliarli per causa delle grosse spese che ordinariamente richiedono . . .. I-Rscge Fondo Spiga, vol. 29. This letter, together with F and G below, may be one of those from Schonborn that Steffani showed to Riva at Hanover during the autumn of 1720 (see no. 4, below). Since Schonborn no longer refers to 'your duets' (as he does in letters A and B, above), but
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