About this product

Product Identifiers

PublisherOxford University Press, Incorporated

ISBN-100199365202

ISBN-139780199365203

eBay Product ID (ePID)175751010

Product Key Features

Book TitleModern Castrato : Gaetano Guadagni and the Coming of a New Operatic Age

Number of Pages256 Pages

LanguageEnglish

Publication Year2014

TopicCultural Heritage, Men's Studies, Genres & Styles / Opera

IllustratorYes

GenreMusic, Social Science, Biography & Autobiography

AuthorPatricia Howard

FormatHardcover

Dimensions

Item Height0.9 in

Item Weight17.6 Oz

Item Length6.3 in

Item Width9.5 in

Additional Product Features

Intended AudienceTrade

LCCN2013-036715

Reviews"Howard's 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." --H-Net, Written in an engaging style, well researched, and replete with quotations and evidence from historical documents ...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.

Dewey Edition23

TitleLeadingThe

Dewey Decimal782.1092 B

Table Of ContentAcknowledgementsList of IllustrationsList of TablesAbout the Companion WebsiteRecommended ListeningIntroduction1. From Lodi to London (1728-1748)2. A London Apprenticeship (1748-1749)3. Guadagni and Handel (1749-1755)4. Guadagni the Actor5. Building a career on the European Stage (1755-1762)6. Guadagni in Vienna (1762-1765)7. Return to the Veneto (1765-1769)8. Success and Scandal in London (1769-1771)9. Guadagni the Composer10. At Home in Padua (1771-1782)11. The Last Decade (1782-1792)12. Guadagni the SingerConclusionAppendicesBibliographyIndex

SynopsisThe 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., 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., 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. 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 castratoto embrace the concepts of modern singing., 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 tounderstand 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 firstcastrato 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 theremarkable 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.

LC Classification NumberML420.G9158H69 2014