The Modern Castrato

Gaetano Guadagni and the Coming of a New Operatic Age

Nonfiction, Entertainment, Music, Music Styles, Classical & Opera, Opera, Biography & Memoir, Composers & Musicians
Cover of the book The Modern Castrato by Patricia Howard, Oxford University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Patricia Howard ISBN: 9780199379705
Publisher: Oxford University Press Publication: May 1, 2014
Imprint: Oxford University Press Language: English
Author: Patricia Howard
ISBN: 9780199379705
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Publication: May 1, 2014
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Language: English

The Modern Castrato: Gaetano Guadagni and the Coming of a New Operatic Age chronicles the career of the most significant castrato of the second half of the eighteenth-century. Through a coincidence of time and place, Gaetano Guadagni was on the forefront of the heroic opera reform, and many forward-thinking composers of the age created roles for him. Author Patricia Howard reveals that Guadagni may have been the only singer of the time fully able to understand the demands and opportunities of this reform, as well to possess the intelligence and self-knowledge to realize that it suited his skills, limitations and temperament perfectly--making him the first castrato to embrace the concepts of modern singing. The first full-length biography of this outstanding singer, The Modern Castrato illuminates the everyday lives of eighteenth-century singers while spotlighting the historic high points of the century. Most famous for his creation of the role of Orpheus in Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice, his career ranged widely and brought him into contact with many progressives theorists and composers such as Traetta, Jommelli, and Bertoni. Howard's focus on the development of Guadagni's career pauses on essential, related topics along the way, such as the castrato in society, the eighteenth-century revolution in acting, and the remarkable evidence for Guadagni's marionette theater. Howard also assesses Guadagni's surviving compositions, which give new insight into the quality and character of his voice as well as his technical and expressive abilities. The Modern Castrato is an engaging narrative that will prove essential reading for opera lovers and scholars of eighteenth-century music.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

The Modern Castrato: Gaetano Guadagni and the Coming of a New Operatic Age chronicles the career of the most significant castrato of the second half of the eighteenth-century. Through a coincidence of time and place, Gaetano Guadagni was on the forefront of the heroic opera reform, and many forward-thinking composers of the age created roles for him. Author Patricia Howard reveals that Guadagni may have been the only singer of the time fully able to understand the demands and opportunities of this reform, as well to possess the intelligence and self-knowledge to realize that it suited his skills, limitations and temperament perfectly--making him the first castrato to embrace the concepts of modern singing. The first full-length biography of this outstanding singer, The Modern Castrato illuminates the everyday lives of eighteenth-century singers while spotlighting the historic high points of the century. Most famous for his creation of the role of Orpheus in Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice, his career ranged widely and brought him into contact with many progressives theorists and composers such as Traetta, Jommelli, and Bertoni. Howard's focus on the development of Guadagni's career pauses on essential, related topics along the way, such as the castrato in society, the eighteenth-century revolution in acting, and the remarkable evidence for Guadagni's marionette theater. Howard also assesses Guadagni's surviving compositions, which give new insight into the quality and character of his voice as well as his technical and expressive abilities. The Modern Castrato is an engaging narrative that will prove essential reading for opera lovers and scholars of eighteenth-century music.

More books from Oxford University Press

Cover of the book The American Dream and the Public Schools by Patricia Howard
Cover of the book The Number Sense by Patricia Howard
Cover of the book In Order to Learn by Patricia Howard
Cover of the book RASA by Patricia Howard
Cover of the book The Conquistadors: A Very Short Introduction by Patricia Howard
Cover of the book Death, Dying, and the Afterlife: Oxford Bibliographies Online Research Guide by Patricia Howard
Cover of the book Imprisoned by the Past by Patricia Howard
Cover of the book Melancholic Habits by Patricia Howard
Cover of the book The City of the End of Things by Patricia Howard
Cover of the book Financial Capability and Asset Building in Vulnerable Households by Patricia Howard
Cover of the book Differences by Patricia Howard
Cover of the book Making Sense in Engineering and the Technical Sciences by Patricia Howard
Cover of the book The Economist's Oath by Patricia Howard
Cover of the book The Reinvention of Atlantic Slavery by Patricia Howard
Cover of the book The Patient as Victim and Vector: Ethics and Infectious Disease by Patricia Howard
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy