musical societies and institutions

musical societies and institutions, organizations formed for the promotion or performance of music, usually with some common factor. The German guilds of Meistersingers (“master singers”) flourished from the 14th to the 16th century, and the earlier French guilds of troubadours were associated with secular music, whereas groups such as the Compagnia de Gonfalone (Rome, 1264) and the Confrérie de la Passion (Paris, 1402) were formed for the performance of sacred music. During the Renaissance in...