Charles Burney

The Present State of Music in France and Italy (2nd, corrected edition)

London: T. Becket and Co., 1773

Padua

however was good, the harmony pure, the
modulation masterly, and the stile grave
and suitable to the church. But I found
that two of the four organs were more
than sufficient to over-power the voices;
and Padre Valloti told me that the noise
used to be still more intolerable, but
that he had reduced, by one at a time, the
four organs, which were formerly played
all at once, to two, the whole four
never play now but for the common ser-
vice, when there are no other performers
than the priests. The first organist at
present, Signor Domenico Locatello, is
reckoned an able artist *; but it were to
be wished that he and his colleague
would accompany the voices and instru-
ments, which are good, and well worth
hearing, with the choir organs only, as
we do in England; for, otherwise, no-
thing but the organs can be heard: they