Antonio Provolo: hero or villain?

Antonio Provolo, of Verona Italy (1801-1842), was a priest who was 'inspired' to teach deaf children by giving them the gift of speech through music. Under the patronage of a wealthy noblewoman he set up a school in Verona where he taught 'deafmutes' to peak with normal intonation and rhythm and to sing. He was a gifted musician himself and used his skills and training to develop his brilliantly innovative techniques, which are briefly described in this article. But, like many dedicated innovators, he was a fanatic. To further his system, he insisted on banning any use of sign-and thus indirectly contributed to the banning of sign at the Milan Conference in 1880.