The Music Chapel of Empress Eleonora II. Source-related Difficulties in Researching the History of an Italian-dominated Institution in Vienna (1657-1686)

After the death of her husband Ferdinand III in 1657, Eleonora Gonzaga founded her own music chapel (Kapelle) of 25 musicians, most of whom were from Italy. With her musicians, the widow became a focus of cultural life at the Viennese court until her death in 1686. The fact that Eleonora?s court archives have been lost presents some difficulties in reconstructing the history of her Kapelle. Some of the few remaining sources include an undated list of names and salaries of people engaged at the court, as well as a collection of decrees. Due to the scarcity of primary sources, research into Eleonora?s court music must turn to secondary sources such as letters or envoy reports. To some degree, the musicians can be derived from the court accommodation records (Hofquartierbücher), and various parish registers provide biographical details. Finally, it is often necessary to draw on materials from Italian archives.