Acknowledgements; List of illustrations; List of tables; List of musical examples; List of abbreviations; Two intertwining family trees: the Habsburg-Lorraines of Austria and the Bourbons of Spain and Naples; A note about quotations and transcriptions of documents; Introduction; 1. The empress as collector of music; 2. Marie Therese's musicians; 3. The empress as soprano; 4. Private concerts; 5. Celebrations of Franz's birthday and nameday; 6. Musical caprice; 7. Marie Therese's influence on music in the public sphere; 8.

The empress as conceiver, commissioner and shaper of musical works; 9. Il conte Clò: a birthday cantata from inception to performance; 10. Joseph Haydn and Beethoven between court and nobility; Epilogue; Appendix 1: Marie Therese's collection of church music; Appendix 2: Marie Therese's musical diary, 1801'3; Appendix 3: Paer's letters to the empress; Appendix 4: Correspondence between Paisiello and Marie Therese; Appendix 5: Documents pertaining to the development and performance of Paer's Il conte Clò; Bibliography; Index.