In the second half of the 19th century, in Italy, melodrama was still the most practised musical genre, but space for instrumental production began to grow, especially thanks to the “Quartet societies” which tried to reduce the gap remaining compared to other European countries, offering it to the public with an energy which was certainly praiseworthy. However, they were not the only institutions where instrumental music was cultivated. In this context it must be remembered that music conservato...