Orchestral splendor & operatic melodies
While opera was clearly at the heart of music in Italy – it was the only way to achieve national renown – church music was certainly more present in the daily lives of the people. Most churches maintained choirs and orchestras, performing pieces written by professional church music directors, who also raised the next generation of musicians and composers. Indeed, it’s hard to find any famous 19th-century musician who didn’t begin their career in a church choir or banda (brass band).
