Martha Feldman
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- September 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780520279490
- eISBN:
- 9780520962033
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520279490.003.0005
- Subject:
- Music, History, Western
As the eighteenth century wore on and absolutism crumbled, the bourgeois was consolidating its fear of the castrato, whom it denatured in sharpened critiques. Castrati were ever more ...
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As the eighteenth century wore on and absolutism crumbled, the bourgeois was consolidating its fear of the castrato, whom it denatured in sharpened critiques. Castrati were ever more incomprehensible, indeed anathema to Europe’s new self-conception. The singing of castrati adapted via two modes: an Orphic and sensible voice, epitomized by Gluck’s Orpheus (as cultivated by Guadagni, Millico, and Pacchierotti) and defined by Susan Burney’s journals in England, and a virtuosic one as perfected by Marchesi.Less
As the eighteenth century wore on and absolutism crumbled, the bourgeois was consolidating its fear of the castrato, whom it denatured in sharpened critiques. Castrati were ever more incomprehensible, indeed anathema to Europe’s new self-conception. The singing of castrati adapted via two modes: an Orphic and sensible voice, epitomized by Gluck’s Orpheus (as cultivated by Guadagni, Millico, and Pacchierotti) and defined by Susan Burney’s journals in England, and a virtuosic one as perfected by Marchesi.
Patricia Howard
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- April 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780199365203
- eISBN:
- 9780199374687
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199365203.001.0001
- Subject:
- Music, Opera, History, Western
This is the first full-length biography of one of the most outstanding singers of the eighteenth century. Gaetano Guadagni is widely known for his creation of the role of Orpheus in Gluck’s Orfeo ed ...
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This is the first full-length biography of one of the most outstanding singers of the eighteenth century. Gaetano Guadagni is widely known for his creation of the role of Orpheus in Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice; he was also a leading singer in Handel’s oratorios, and worked with other progressive composers such as Traetta, Jommelli and Bertoni. His career coincided with a movement to reform heroic opera, with the intention of freeing dramatic music from restrictive conventions, and bringing it into harmony with the more expressive aims of the age of sensibility. A cultured and literate singer, Guadagni was in sympathy with the reform, and understood how its aims gave full scope to both his strengths and limitations as a singer. He worked alongside other innovative artists, transferring the dramatic skills of ground-breaking actors such as Pertici and Garrick to the operatic stage. From the reformer Gluck he caught the notion of the integrity of the complete work, and led reluctant audiences to give their undivided attention to dramatic continuity by refusing to acknowledge their applause or to grant them encores. Sometimes judged touchy or arrogant, he made friends and enemies in equal measure: a unique and fascinating character in the history of eighteenth-century opera.Less
This is the first full-length biography of one of the most outstanding singers of the eighteenth century. Gaetano Guadagni is widely known for his creation of the role of Orpheus in Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice; he was also a leading singer in Handel’s oratorios, and worked with other progressive composers such as Traetta, Jommelli and Bertoni. His career coincided with a movement to reform heroic opera, with the intention of freeing dramatic music from restrictive conventions, and bringing it into harmony with the more expressive aims of the age of sensibility. A cultured and literate singer, Guadagni was in sympathy with the reform, and understood how its aims gave full scope to both his strengths and limitations as a singer. He worked alongside other innovative artists, transferring the dramatic skills of ground-breaking actors such as Pertici and Garrick to the operatic stage. From the reformer Gluck he caught the notion of the integrity of the complete work, and led reluctant audiences to give their undivided attention to dramatic continuity by refusing to acknowledge their applause or to grant them encores. Sometimes judged touchy or arrogant, he made friends and enemies in equal measure: a unique and fascinating character in the history of eighteenth-century opera.
Patricia Howard
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- April 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780199365203
- eISBN:
- 9780199374687
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199365203.003.0002
- Subject:
- Music, Opera, History, Western
The first section examines the evidence establishing Guadagni’s place and date of birth, including the register of his baptism in Lodi cathedral. His family of professional singers is described. The ...
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The first section examines the evidence establishing Guadagni’s place and date of birth, including the register of his baptism in Lodi cathedral. His family of professional singers is described. The section then traces his life up to the time when he joined the Cappella di Sant’Antonio (the Santo) in Padua. It discusses some of the factors driving the demand and supply of castratos in the early eighteenth century. The second section records the events of the season of 1746–47, and Guadagni’s first known operatic engagements in Venice. The third, very brief, section, for the season of 1747–48, takes Guadagni up to the point where he left Italy for London.Less
The first section examines the evidence establishing Guadagni’s place and date of birth, including the register of his baptism in Lodi cathedral. His family of professional singers is described. The section then traces his life up to the time when he joined the Cappella di Sant’Antonio (the Santo) in Padua. It discusses some of the factors driving the demand and supply of castratos in the early eighteenth century. The second section records the events of the season of 1746–47, and Guadagni’s first known operatic engagements in Venice. The third, very brief, section, for the season of 1747–48, takes Guadagni up to the point where he left Italy for London.
