The choir-stalls of the Church of Saint Roch, movable wooden structure, model by A. Fossati, statues by F. Megiorini, decorations by A. Pedante. Used until 1927 it is presently waiting for restoration.

From their origin in the thirteenth century, the Scuole Grandi of Venice had always employed music in their ceremonies and rites. The Gregorian chant, at times accompanied by the organ, was naturally an essential element of the Masses and Vespers. The Brothers sang at the funerals and devotional chants were performed by the Schools when they took part in the processions organised by the Signoria in St. Mark's Square and in other areas of the city. The Saint Roch School, born in 1478, decided as early as 1488 to employ professional choristers and a few years later its first instrumental group, composed of lute, harp, and lyre players. During the processions compositions of the genre known as laud were sang and played: some of them, like the ones by Innocentius Dammonis printed in 1508, are probably very similar to those performed by the cantadori di laudi (laud singers) and the sonadori (players) of Saint Roch. Among the choristers employed one is worth mentioning: pré Francesco da San Marco. For the first time the Saint Roch School chose its musicians from the ducal chapel of Saint Mark's. In the fourth decade of the Sixteenth Century, the School employed a more modern group, made of strings, first lyres, then violins, usually four or five, and for a few years also a group of piffari (pipers). For church ceremonies, an organist and a choir of priests were used for the gregorian chant: the first organist was Vincenzo Bell'haver, who had played at the Croseccheri and at Saint Mark's. His successor from 1584 was the most famous among the confraternity salaried musicians, the great Giovanni Gabrieli, who performed at Saint Roch, while playing at Saint Mark's, until he died in 1612. Besides the professional musicians, salaried for the whole year, were the cantadori de morti , poor brothers of the School, and the mansionari di coro who were simple priests.
The real golden age of music at Saint Roch started in the late sixteenth century. In addition to the four regular choristers, the School employed both companies of choristers of the ducal chapel and both instrumental companies (Bassani and Favretti), some extra violin and violone players and several organists (led by Giovanni Gabrieli), under the director Giovanni Croce, the Chiozzotto. The Sonata for three violins and organ is one of the compositions by Giovanni Gabrieli which had a relevant role in the Saint Roch Feast and was published posthumously in 1615. Elaborate musical contributions continued in the following years, under great conductors such as Francesco Cavalli, Giovanni Rovetta, Alessandro Grandi and, especially Claudio Monteverdi who appears in document as maestro in 1623 and 1628 and who had already composed a mottetto for the Saint Roch Feast, O beatae viae, published in 1620. The plague of 1630 caused serious problems to the School which had to dismiss the salaried musicians for several years. The annual feast regained its importance only at the end of the Seventeenth Century. In the Eighteenth Century, one of the main changes was the reduction of the performances at the school and during the processions so as to favour the music in church. In 1726 with the beginning of the works for the reconstruction of the church, the organ was removed. After over fifteen years, in 1742, it was rebuilt by the most famous organ-maker of the age, Pietro Nacchini. In 1748, when Pope Benedetto XIV approved the creation of a Proprio of the mass and the office of Saint Roch, an immediate result was the composition of the hymn Ave Roche Sanctissime. In 1754 an antiphonary was created, with music probably composed by the choir director Giambattista Tosini, copied by the chorister Matteo Zener. The musical activities were upset again in 1756, when the organ was dismantled for the construction of the new church facade. The renewed organ was completed in 1768 by Gaetano Callido and is still working after some restoration work which was done around 1780 and in recent years. A new book of music for five masses and ten mottettoes was written in 1775 by maestro Tosini. During Pope Pio VI's visit to Saint Roch, in 1782, two stages for musicians were built on the sides of the organ.

Similar provisional platforms were built every year for the Feast of Saint Roch. In 1789, in order to avoid this recurrent expense, a choir-stall (see figure) was built on Angelo Fossati's model, with wooden statues by Francesco Megiorini and decorations by Antonio Pedante. It was a monumental polychromatic and golden work with a 14 metre facade and over 11 metres high, of Baroque conception, a real “machine” which was assembled every time in order to add solemnity and magnificence to the religious ceremonies (the choir-stall was not used after the Feast of Saint Roch of 1927: it was recovered in 1995 and is still waiting for restoration in preparation for its possible relocation). The fall of the Republic and the arrival of Napoleon caused a reorganisation of the musical activity: the School of Saint Roch , which escaped the suppression, was allowed to re-employ, with reduced salary, only the choristers and the organist.
In the archives a bulky folder containing two hymns to Saint Roch witnesses the interest of the School for the musical world of the nineteenth century: one, undated, composed by Francesco Ghin, for three voices and organ, the other one dated 1885 for grande orchestra, was composed by maestro Carlo nob. Dalla Rovere for the liturgical needs of 2 and 3 March of the same year, anniversary of the transportation of the body of Saint Roch into Venice. The folder also contains, undated, the score of an Ave Regina caelorum for “tenor solo” by Domenico Gallo and a Magnificat and a Laudate Pueri by O. Mariotti. It is also possible to find, again undated, a Salmi di terza a tre (due tenori e un basso) ed organo by Maestro Bergamo and an Iste confessor for three voices , adapted for wind instruments by Maestro Cimoso. The most weighty score is by Maestro Angelo Ferri, organist of the Cappella Marciana, and is dated 1838. The Messa a tre voci is for violins, viols, flute, oboe, clarinets, bassoon, horn, trumpets, violons, cello, organ and kettle-drums.
As regards the Twentieth Century, there are a few significant events worth mentioning. The first is the concert of 23 September 1958 , in the Sala Capitolare during the festivals of the twenty-first international festival of Contemporary music organised by the Venice Biennale. On that occasion, Igor Stravinsky presented and directed his sacred cantata Threni - Id est lamentationes Jeremiae Prophetae as a world premiere. On 31 May 1994 , for the celebration of the fourth centenary of the death of Tintoretto, the Cappella Marciana presented music by Gabrieli, Willaert and Giovanni Croce, under the direction of Maestro Roberto Micconi, with the accompaniment of instruments which are rarely used on similar occasions, such as renaissance trombones, violon and cornets. On 16 August 1995 , for the seventh centenary of the birth of Saint Roch, the "Gabrieli Consort, Choir and Players" of London performed once more the concert of 16 August 1608 in its integrity in the same room under the aegis of Giovanni Gabrieli. To close this Centenary, on 7 October 1995 , the polyphonic group “Cantori di Santomio” directed by Piergiorgio Righele, performed five lauds by Friar Innocenzo Dammonis of 1508 and some pieces by Monteverdi. As a final note it is worth noting the commission conferred by the School to the young Maestro Giovanni Bonato of Schio to adapt Psalm 116 Dilexi to music . The piece was performed in the opening and closing concerts for the celebrations of the 1995 Centenary.

(Information taken from Quaderno della Scuola Grande Arciconfraternita di San Rocco n. 2, 1996: La Scuola Grande di San Rocco nella musica e nelle feste veneziane, by Jonathan Glixon, Lorenzo Cesco and Lina Urban).

As regards the present activities of the School in the musical field, please see the paragraph of this same chapter.