La committenza vicereale e l'archivio musicale della cappella di Corte di Milano negli anni di Eugenio di Beauharnais

This article investigates viceregal patronage and the musical archive of the Milan Court Chapel during the rule of Eugène de Beauharnais, based on the recent discovery of the 1814 inventory. By combining archival evidence with surviving musical manuscripts, the study reconstructs for the first time a coherent and purposefully designed musical collection. The research highlights the use of sacred music as a tool of political legitimation and propaganda in Napoleonic Milan. Special attention is given to Italian-texted sacred motets and to the numerous settings of the Domine, salvum fac Regem, revealing an unprecedented liturgical-musical practice. The article demonstrates how liturgical forms were reshaped to serve governmental needs. This perspective offers new insights into the interaction between politics, liturgy, and musical language in the early nineteenth century.