As últimas sonoridades do Absolutismo monárquico: A actividade musical na Patriarcal de Lisboa entre 1792 e 1834

Abstract

This article intends to contribute to fill a gap in our knowledge of the history of music in Portugal in the final period of the Old Regime through the study of the role of sacred music in the exercise of royal power. Usually seen as a stage of decadence after the splendour of the eighteenth century, the last chapters of the history of the Patriarchal Church in Lisbon have not yet been the subject of systematic analysis and research. Taking into account the central role played by this institution in the eighteenth century, as the source of multiple components of Portuguese musical life, and the profound changes that follow, this is a phenomenon that cannot be ignored. The main thread of this research is the musical activity of the Patriarchal Church, but its close relationship with the vast network of production and performance of religious music under the monarchy also implies additional study of the other Royal Chapels. The study focuses on three distinct periods: the transfer of the Patriarchal Church to the Royal Chapel of Ajuda in 1792, after the complex course of the institution following the earthquake of 1755; the ‘Patriarcal da Ajuda’ in the absence of the royal court (1807-21); the Patriarchal and the Royal Chapels between the return of King John VI in 1821 and the definitive triumph of Liberalism in 1834. With the path that led to the end of absolutism and the dissolution of the Patriarchal Chapel as background, the survey takes into account aspects such as the impact of political changes on the functioning and organization of the institution, the appropriation of ceremonial codes by different powers, the professional activity of the musicians, the functional character of musical repertoires, and  their transformations and performance practices.