rose

Charles Burney

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

London: T. Becket and Co., 1773

Naples


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sioners, who pay for their teaching: and,
others, after having served their time
out, are retained to teach the rest; but
that in both these cases they are allowed
to go out of the Conservatorio at plea-
sure.

I enquired throughout Italy at what
place boys were chiefly qualified for sing-
ing by castration, but could get no cer-
tain intelligence. I was told at Milan
that it was at Venice; at Venice, that it
was at Bologna; but at Bologna the fact
was denied, and I was referred to Flo-
rence; from Florence to Rome, and from
Rome I was sent to Naples. The opera-
tion most certainly is against law in all
these places, as well as against nature; and
all the Italians are so much ashamed of it,
that in every province they transfer it to
some other.

" Ask where's the North ? at York, 'tis on the
Tweed;
" In Scotland, at the Orcades; and there,
"At Greenland, Zembla, or the Lord knows
where." Pope's Ess. on Man.

However,