Chapter 4 focuses on treatises by Giambattista Dufort, Il Trattato del Ballo Nobile (1728), and Gennaro Magri, Trattato teorico-prattico di ballo (1779). Given the intentionally didactic nature of Dufort’s treatise and its concentration on the minuet, the presentation of the fundamentals, mechanics of the genre, and how to execute the mandatory steps are the primary points for discussion. Magri’s later treatise is a much broader reflection on the contemporary dance environment of Naples (including ample reference to the pantomime and grottesco traditions), and it mirrors the preference for the contradance that emerged in the latter part of the century. Accordingly, Magri concentrates on this more intricate social dance, not only providing the reader with detailed explanations of its content but also devising specific graphic notation paired to original music. This approach provides unprecedented insight into contemporary social dancing and its place within the aristocratic culture of Naples. Given Magri’s career as a primo ballerino in the grottesco tradition, the narrative references ongoing polemics with Charles LePicq (student of Noverre and principal exponent of pantomime style). Finally, Magri’s role at the royal festivities in the capital city and in Caserta is considered.

Chapter 7 considers the music created for the feste di ballo. The Library of the Conservatory of Naples contains an extensive selection of eighteenth-century dance music with a clear emphasis on the minuet and contradance. Several compilations can be directly associated with specific years and members of the local musical establishment. For example, a manuscript anthology (shelf mark Od.3.10) bears the inscription “Minuetti composed for the feste of the royal palace,” positing its use for events organized in the associated dance space. It bears the name of Antonio Montoro and the date 1776, alongside a handwritten annotation citing Giovanni Battista Bergantino as an author of additional selections. Both Montoro and Bergantino had long associations as violinists with the orchestra of the Teatro di San Carlo (de facto band for the feste di ballo) and as composers of the dances for such events. Another contemporary source is a compendium of printed dance tunes by composers both local (including Luigi Marescalchi, the royal printer) and foreign (including Joseph Haydn, a favorite of the Neapolitan sovereigns). These collections provide an intimate guide to the practicalities of the feste di ballo tradition, namely a direct understanding of the music preferred and performed therein.