ABSTRACT
The imperial director of music, Joseph von Paar, recommended to the emperor that an increase of 10 florins be made in the theorbist’s monthly stipend beginning 1 July 1709; his recommendation received approval. Francesco Bartolomeo Conti may have found intellectual satisfaction in the actions taken on his behalf by Joseph von Paar, but he would have to wait a considerable period of time before he saw any monetary boost in his stipend. Conti’s reputation as a player of his ‘great Theorbo’ was enough to attract London audiences to his concerts, but what was especially newsworthy on special occasion was his playing of an instrument that hitherto had not made its way into that city. There was only one nine-month period when Conti was not paid his usual monthly stipend by the Habsburg court. The libretto Conti set for his second oratorio is a reminder that history can repeat itself.
