Luigi Gatti and the Collection of Salzburg Sources in the Library of the Conservatorio «Luigi Cherubini» in Florence

Ferdinand III, Grand Duke of Tuscany (1769–1824) ruled Salzburg from 1803 to 1805. During this short time span he began to add a great deal of music material of Salzburg provenance to his collection, among it copies of sacred music, especially of Johann Michael Haydn’s (1737–1806) and Luigi Gatti’s (1740–1817) works. Today his collection is kept in the library of the Conservatorio «Luigi Cherubini» in Florence. While this paper is concerned only with the copies of sacred music surviving in the collection, it focuses on questions like, which Salzburg copyists were commissioned by Ferdinand, and which original materials from the Dommusikarchiv found their way into the Fondo Pitti collection. The role Luigi Gatti played in Ferdinand’s collecting activities, as well as Ferdinand’s impact on the dissemination of Michael Haydn’s and Luigi Gatti’s music, are discussed.