[3] With regard to their musical instruction, the pupils were divided into classes that one might describe as follows: the class for musical elements, which included solfeggio; the singing class; the partimenti class; the counterpoint class, and finally, the instrumental classes

[4] for keyboards, strings, and winds. The vocal classes were divided into soprano, alto, tenor, and bass, each with its own class.

There were external teachers, paid by each conservatory, who only communicated with the advanced pupils of each class (these external teachers were almost all former pupils of the conservatory); they were in addition to teachers for writing and Latin.

[3] Les élèves, sous le rapport de l’instruction musicale, étaient divisés par classes, qu’on peut réduire aux suivantes: la classe des éléments, y compris le solfège; celle du chant; celle des partimenti; celle du contrepoint; enfin, les classes des instruments à

[4] touches, à cordes, et à vent. Les voix étaient classées en soprano (dessus), alto (haute-contre), tenore (taille), et basso (basse-taille); et chaque espèce de voix formait une classe à part.

Il y avait des maîtres externes, payés par chaque conservatoire, qui ne communiquaient qu’avec les élèves supérieurs de chaque classe (les maîtres externes provenaient presque tous des élèves supérieurs du Conservatoire), outre les maîtres d’écriture et de langue latine.

When the bell announced the arrival of a teacher, such as the teacher for counterpoint, the advanced pupils of the class gathered at the agreed place with their cartella (this was a thick varnished cloth, with staff lines, on which one could write and wipe away music as he pleased); the teacher would examine each cartella carefully, and correct all of them, one by one, in the presence of all the pupils of the class. The other teachers followed the same procedure with the advanced pupils in their respective classes.