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The Modern Castrato

Gaetano Guadagni and the Coming of a New Operatic Age

Patricia Howard author

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Oxford University Press Inc

Published:17th Jul '14

Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back

The Modern Castrato cover

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.

Written in an engaging style, well researched, and replete with quotations and evidence from historical documents ... Howard gives the reader insight into the evolving musical culture in mid-18th-century Europe ... The book should have appeal for readers with a wide range of backgrounds, from musicologists to opera aficionados to those interested in cultural history or the erstwhile phenomenon known as the castrato. * C. A. Traupman-Carr, Choice *
Fascinating, original and informative ... Packed with information and enjoyable to read, it is a book for all; I highly recommend it. * Ursula Brett *
Howards book has many merits, foremost among them her judicious exploration of a comprehensive source base covering four languages and ranging from the ubiquitous to the virtually unknown. * Lars Fischer, H-Music *

ISBN: 9780199365203

Dimensions: 159mm x 241mm x 22mm

Weight: 481g

264 pages