The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-03-08
BY w. ]. HENDERSON.

TINE performance Of G:ucks "Orfeo
ed Euridiee" on Monday eve
ming called 10 mind some in
tcresting historical facts con-
nected with the first performances of
the opera and suggested questions as to
the advisability Of substituting "A man
for a woman in the title role. The part
WAS sung IN the first Paris production
by the high tenor Iegros but was writ
ten originally for male contrnlto.
The operate deity Of to-day Is Enrico
Caruso. In the SOS OF the last century
the tenor gods were Rub!ni and Mario.
Yet one does not have to go much fur
Their back before he finds the operate
world PROSTATE before those human
curiosities the male sopranos and con-
traltos. IL seems incoaceivable that
Caffarelli. Carestini. Farinelli. Sencslnu.
Guadagni ,the original GluCk Drfcoj
and other immortal names were the APP
pcllations OF men who sang with boys
voices and even sometimes wore petit
coats and assumed women's parts. Yet
such was the fact and these artificial
and unreal singers were the idols of the
public.
The history OF the operate male So
prano is interesting. II not altogether
palatable. His predecessor was the fall
settist who initiated the boy soprano by
using falsetto tones. Away back in the
middle ages Spain produced a line OF
Clever users OF the falsctto voice, whose
singing attracted the attention OF the
authorities OF the Roman Church. The
Sistiue choir was then reinforced with
singers Of this type and in recent years
in the course OF the reforma tiun Of the
musical service the authorities Of the
Roman Church have restored the use of
the false,to voice.
II was In the fifteenth century that
the composers OF polyphonic church
music found themselves In difficulties
by reason OF the limited compass OF male
voices for at that period women were
not employed in cholrs. The introduce
ton OF falsetto singing enabled the
composers to extend their vocal scale to
three octaves. Previously IL had run
about two, ending with the high Is Of
the tenor clef. In the sixteenth century
the Spaniards. who apparently had a
method unknown To others, ranged
through the entire scale Of the female
soprano. II was the sweetness and preg.
nant quality Of this nondescript voice
which made IL dear To the church and
the falsettist reigncd In Rome till the
grtifit ial male soprano ,the evirato)
came to supplant him. Fa!settlsts are
still heard in some English choirs, just
as they were always heard a quartz,
Of q century ago In the negro m!nstre
companies in this country. As late al
hfteen years ago (tie writer cannot
speak authoritatively Of later years.
male altos tfalsettists) We're employed II
the English festival Of the Three Choirs
In some church cho.rs Of Germany ant
Italy boys, falscttists and artificial malt
sopranos were found singing togetheI
even in the last century.
When one il studying the score OF Q
medieval polyphonic composition M
should give close attention to the clef!
and the distribution of voices. The high
or acute, voices were those of boys, fall
settists and evirati. The low or grave
were those OF men In the normal scale
The high parts were entitled "cantus
and "altus" and the lower ones tenor
and "bassus."
When the lyric drama began t.
emerge from the polypnonic wilderness
in which 1t was quite lost in the time q
vecchi the great master Of the madrlga
drama tlast quarter Of the sixteenth Ger
D.,
those of falsettists and evirati were no
put aside. The title role in Peri
Daphne" 1597D was sung by n bo.
but that OF his "Euridice' $4,000 wa
allotted to the famous soprano. vi
torla Archilei
The male soprano did not gam entir
supremacy in the field of the lyrl
drama In the first years Of the sever
teenth century. The distribution
voices in the various operas show
much uncertainty, but no regard wha
ever for dramatic fitness. and ma
scnranos were used quite capriciously.
'rhe title role Of Monteverde's 'Orfc'
tlG0T) was sung by "A male sopran
But ChdrOn and Pluto are basses. Wh'
Manelli's "Andromeda" was produce
NJ the opening Of the first public opel
house the Teatro San Cassiano, Nenic
.G3T. the composer sang Neptune al
hts wife AndrOmedd. All the 9th
parts, Mercury, Perseus, Juno, Vcnl
End Astred, were sung by men. VINE
Eossi's 'Orfeo" was introduced to Par
n l8I7 by the Cardinal Mazarn, Il
,hepherd Artsteus WAS sung by Il
already famous Roman male sopiai
Marc Antonio Pasqualni. The ma
soprano held his place even in the ear
operas of Mozart. In "Mitrldate' on
and "Lucio silla" u772) there were
low voices. and some OF the male rol
were given to mule sopranos
BEFORE speaking OF certain stars