The present chapter focuses on Neapolitan maestri/operisti who produced instrumental compositions at the end of the eighteenth century – with particular attention accorded to Giovanni Paisiello, Domenico Cimarosa, and Pietro Alessandro Guglielmi. The “three crowns” of late Neapolitan stage drama had traveled widely and composed instrumental music throughout the Italian peninsula and as far afield as London, Vienna, and St. Petersburg. Their unique status and the extant repertory of their instrumental music suggest an engaged, contemporary cultivation of genres in Naples, with their music being produced in diverse contexts. These ranged from the Neapolitan royal court and direct patronage by Maria Carolina and Ferdinand IV to noble, diplomatic, and mercantile sponsors. There is also a large body of related documentary evidence verifying the importance of instrumental music in these settings – including personal correspondence, archival materials, iconographic sources, organizations that programmed instrumental concerts, and the presence of local artisans devoted to instrumental design and production. Special attention is given to the role occupied by the sovereigns through their direct patronage. This sponsorship often occurred in the setting of court feste and celebrations within the different royal palaces of the kingdom.

This chapter further investigates the role of Queen Maria Carolina within contemporary Neapolitan society, focusing on her interests in the visual arts and literature as crucial elements within her cultural agenda. The role of the Cappella Reale within the promotion and performance of instrumental music at the Neapolitan court is also investigated, particularly through archival documents (primarily transactional registries of compensation) and prior research, which reveal the identities of the personnel and associated instrumentation of the ensemble. Based on these sources, a more accurate portrait of the Cappella Reale, its constitution, and even its repertory in the late eighteenth century is offered. Contemporary keyboard culture in the capital city is also discussed, noting the thriving sector of craftsmen, whose activities complemented the wide-ranging cultivation of keyboard and instrumental genres.