Count Carlo Brentano de’ Grianti Journal (1795-1801)

An unpublished autograph manuscript journal in two volumes by the Milan Music Conservatory founder and Director of Theatres Count Carlo Brentano de’ Grianti, featuring an extensive and detailed record of his visit to Russia and the Russian court at the end of the 18th century. The author’s position gave him access to aristocratic society in St. Petersburg and Moscow, and he was a frequent guest at the court of Catherine the Great. His journal gives a lengthy account of the circumstances surrounding Catherine’s death in 1796, her funeral, and the accession to the throne of Paul I. It also reports on Paul’s coronation in Moscow in 1797, at which the author was present, and on the author’s travels between St Petersburg and Moscow. Descriptions of his visits to various towns and regions are given, including local customs of the noble circles in which he moved. Many Russian noblemen and women, among them some of the most famous in Russian society at the time, figure in Brentano’s narrative. Buildings in St Petersburg and Moscow, their furnishings and art collections are described in great detail. The travelogue is accompanied by itemized accounts of the author’s expenses during the trip.

In the second volume, Brentano describes the government and reforms of Catherine the Great, and his visits to Kronstadt (the seat of the Russian Admiralty), and the royal residences of Tsarskoe Selo, Peterhof and Oranienbaum. He writes of the role of women in Russian society, their enthusiasm for learning Italian and reading Metastasio, Ariosto and Tasso and gives accounts of the customs and pastimes of women and men of the Russian aristocracy. The journal records Brentano’s visits to St. Petersburg during Carnival, Holy Week, and Easter, when he attends midnight mass and witnesses the distribution of eggs made of porcelain, glass, sugar, and filigree. The manuscript concludes with some notes, probably written in Vienna a few years later, documenting the fear which swept Vienna around Christmas 1800 on account of the progress of the French in Austria. Another note speaks of the death of Paul I in 1801, attributed first to sickness, but later, in a second note, to the action of his enemies.

The text of the journal is written in Italian and French.

Rare Books: Manuscript Collection (MSS) C0938 (no. 649).
Purchased with funds given by the Deputy University Librarian with additional support from the Music & Performing Arts and Slavic funds.