Charles Burney

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

London: T. Becket and Co., 1773

Venice

I was this afternoon favoured with a visit
from Signor Latilla, an eminent composer
here, and had a long conversation with
him relative to the subject of my journey.
I found him to be a plain, sensible man,
of about sixty years of age, who had
both read and thought much concerning
the music of the ancients, as well as that
of the moderns, to which he has contri-
buted a considerable share for many years
past *. I admired his candour in advising
me to go to the Incurabili, to hear the
girls perform there, with whom he said I
should be much pleased. They are scho-
lars of Signor Galuppi, who is Maestro di
Capella of this Conservatorio.

Unluckily when I arrived there, the
performance was begun; however, I had
only lost the overture and part of the first