ABSTRACT
the orchestra in Milan lacked a theorbist for the opera production and Cardinal de’ Medici was asked to help fill the position with a theorbist in his employ. The letter sets forth Francesco Bartolomeo Conti request to remain under the protection of the Medici family during what he described as his limited stay in the imperial city. In a letter of 11 March 1699 Don Diego Felipez de Guzman, Governor of Milan, had Secretary Sesto thank Cardinal Francesco Maria de’ Medici for allowing Conti to participate in performances of the Carnival opera that season. In his role as a court theorbist, Conti was closely associated with some of the best composers in Europe and perhaps he availed himself of an opportunity to study composition with one or more of them. Sources other than court records also corroborate evidence that Conti was still in Vienna in the latter part of 1705, serving as a ‘theorbist und Hof-Cammer-Musicus’.
