Chapter 1 offers a précis of the feste di ballo in Naples from the ascension of Carlo di Borbone in 1734 to the long reign of his son Ferdinando IV, whose Austrian consort, Maria Carolina, remained a significant patron in local artistic life. It considers the Neapolitan milieu against the backdrop of the wider European diffusion and patronage of social dance, especially in Paris (Carlo’s great-grandfather was Louis XIV), Milan, and Rome. The contemporary letters of Alessandro and Pietro Verri provide firsthand insights into the existence of similar feste di ballo, and their influence and social resonance in these cosmopolitan cities. The deep interest of Ferdinando and Maria Carolina from the very beginning of their reign in the second half of the eighteenth century encouraged their active engagement in the programming of feste di ballo. Their well-known passion for social dancing extended from the direct planning thereof to taking center stage in the public performance of the minuet and contradance, as well as requiring the study of dance for their children. These circumstances were meticulously documented in the contemporary periodicals Gazzetta Universale and Notizie del Mondo, and in the personal correspondence and diaries discussed here.

Chapter 4 focuses on treatises by Giambattista Dufort, Il Trattato del Ballo Nobile (1728), and Gennaro Magri, Trattato teorico-prattico di ballo (1779). Given the intentionally didactic nature of Dufort’s treatise and its concentration on the minuet, the presentation of the fundamentals, mechanics of the genre, and how to execute the mandatory steps are the primary points for discussion. Magri’s later treatise is a much broader reflection on the contemporary dance environment of Naples (including ample reference to the pantomime and grottesco traditions), and it mirrors the preference for the contradance that emerged in the latter part of the century. Accordingly, Magri concentrates on this more intricate social dance, not only providing the reader with detailed explanations of its content but also devising specific graphic notation paired to original music. This approach provides unprecedented insight into contemporary social dancing and its place within the aristocratic culture of Naples. Given Magri’s career as a primo ballerino in the grottesco tradition, the narrative references ongoing polemics with Charles LePicq (student of Noverre and principal exponent of pantomime style). Finally, Magri’s role at the royal festivities in the capital city and in Caserta is considered.

The sixth chapter covers a broader expanse of time, yet provides equally detailed descriptions of the feste, as the tradition returned to the Teatro di San Carlo in 1774. Responding to criticisms of both Carlo di Borbone (now king of Spain) and the Neapolitan Secretary of State Bernardo Tanucci (who provided the Spanish sovereign with detailed complaints about the lifestyles of his son and consort), the feste di ballo returned to the capital city and the royal theater. In the period 1774–86, the feste take on greater significance, not only as an instrumentum regni projecting positive images of sovereignty, but also as a financial bulwark against the significant losses incurred in virtually every opera season (meticulously detailed in memoranda contained in the fondo Archivio Farnesiano). Surviving financial documents, personnel rosters, and ledgers provide important details about the annual feste, ranging from fundamental questions about the physical transformation of the theater into a dance space to the retention of key artistic and managerial personnel. These sources relate closely to and often confirm many of the observations found in the historical accounts of Sara Goudar and Magri’s treatise Trattato teorico-prattico di ballo (1779), among others.

The introduction offers a brief overview of dance traditions in Naples, noting the principal venue (Teatro di San Carlo) practitioners (Charles LePicq and Gennaro Magri), and genres: ballet d’action, grottesco, and social forms.

Chapter 2 returns to the early eighteenth century and the impact of Carlo di Borbone’s urban renewal of the capital city. Among the most significant initiatives were the renovation and expansion of the Palazzo Reale and the construction of the eponymous Teatro di San Carlo. Although unprecedented achievements by the Crown, they were not singular, and these structures were complemented by a constellation of siti reali (royal residences) within and along the periphery of Naples, including the imperial palaces of Caserta, Capodimonte, and Portici. The book explores the architectural parameters and inclusion of dance spaces within each sito reale, bolstered by contemporary documents, whether architectural or the inclusion of accounts detailing specific events, and it includes detailed consideration of court etiquette and associated protocols regarding the feste di ballo based on archival sources. The chapter concludes by placing attention on the resonance of social dance within the larger aristocratic community of Naples, in particular, the decision of the Accademia de’ Nobili Cavalieri, who counted Ferdinando and Maria Carolina as primary patrons and members, to program feste di ballo in its private palazzo in the latter part of the century.

Chapter 7 considers the music created for the feste di ballo. The Library of the Conservatory of Naples contains an extensive selection of eighteenth-century dance music with a clear emphasis on the minuet and contradance. Several compilations can be directly associated with specific years and members of the local musical establishment. For example, a manuscript anthology (shelf mark Od.3.10) bears the inscription “Minuetti composed for the feste of the royal palace,” positing its use for events organized in the associated dance space. It bears the name of Antonio Montoro and the date 1776, alongside a handwritten annotation citing Giovanni Battista Bergantino as an author of additional selections. Both Montoro and Bergantino had long associations as violinists with the orchestra of the Teatro di San Carlo (de facto band for the feste di ballo) and as composers of the dances for such events. Another contemporary source is a compendium of printed dance tunes by composers both local (including Luigi Marescalchi, the royal printer) and foreign (including Joseph Haydn, a favorite of the Neapolitan sovereigns). These collections provide an intimate guide to the practicalities of the feste di ballo tradition, namely a direct understanding of the music preferred and performed therein.

Chapter 3 focuses on the early feste di ballo organized by Carlo di Borbone, specifically in 1737 and 1747. The former represented his first forays into a public projection of himself as the sovereign as well as related social and political iconography of the newly established kingdom. Supported by a heretofore little-examined anonymous account of the festivities from 1737, this book derives considerable insight into the nascent social and artistic protocols established by Carlo for the feste di ballo. In contrast, the feste di ballo of 1747 were a fundamental pillar of extensive celebrations marking the birth of the Neapolitan heir. These events were thoroughly documented in contemporary sources, including architectural and scenographic engravings as well as detailed accounts of each festa in related materials. Through the examination of correlative and newly uncovered archival sources from the Archivio di Stato di Napoli (located in the fondi Regia Camera della Sommaria and Casa Reale Antica), an understanding of the musical ensembles, and their specific personnel and makeup can be determined with precision.