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.

This chapter further investigates the role of Queen Maria Carolina within contemporary Neapolitan society, focusing on her interests in the visual arts and literature as crucial elements within her cultural agenda. The role of the Cappella Reale within the promotion and performance of instrumental music at the Neapolitan court is also investigated, particularly through archival documents (primarily transactional registries of compensation) and prior research, which reveal the identities of the personnel and associated instrumentation of the ensemble. Based on these sources, a more accurate portrait of the Cappella Reale, its constitution, and even its repertory in the late eighteenth century is offered. Contemporary keyboard culture in the capital city is also discussed, noting the thriving sector of craftsmen, whose activities complemented the wide-ranging cultivation of keyboard and instrumental genres.