Die ‚Schule‘ des Leonardo Leo (1694–1744)

Leonardo Leo (1694–1744) has always been regarded not only as an important composer, but also as an important teacher of composition. According to tradition, the Neapolitan musical landscape was at times characterised by the opposition of two systems or schools, with followers of Leo on the one side and Francesco Durante (1684-1755) on the other.
In the course of research on the partimento in particular, more recent music research has turned its attention to this musical landscape, its institutions and main figures. What has remained is a mythologising and transfiguring patina that has covered Leo's image and that of his environment over time.
Hans Aerts seeks to remove these layers by means of studies in institutional history, biography, source criticism, music theory and music analysis. He reconstructs the framework in which musicians were educated in Naples in the first half of the 18th century, sheds light on Leo's career and his circle of pupils, examines the background of the traditions on the opposition between Leisti and Durantisti and explores the sources that have been associated with Leo's teaching practice. A particular focus is the analysis of a corpus of 50 solfeggi. Frequently, these investigations also raise the question of what perspectives they offer for today's music-theoretical teaching practice.