“The scope of this study is to illustrate the music and musical instruments sent as a gift in 1719 by Pope Clement XI to the Emperor of China: they included harpsichords, organs, automata, flutes, bowed and plucked string instruments, as well as their stringing. Various music scores were also brought to Beijing, but the only ones named together with their composer are the sonatas and concerti grossi by Arcangelo Corelli (1653-1713), whose published collections are all present, from Op. I to Op. VI. This will be viewed against the background of conspicuous musical activities at Court carried out by the missionaries sent from Rome during the last years of the reign of Kangxi (1710-1722). An excursus on the positive organs sent to other oriental missions in the same period is also provided.”

Local access dig.pdf. [Barbieri-Musical instruments.pdf]