The modern castrato
Subtitle: Gaetano Guadagni and the coming of a new operatic age
By: Patricia Howard
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Published: 2014
Language: eng
Number of pages: 238
ISBN-13: 9780199365203
Copyright date: 2014
Subjects: Castrati; Biography
Other titles: Gaetano Guadagni and the coming of a new operatic age
Description: 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.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (pages 225-233) and index.
Table of contents: title: From Lodi to London (1728-1748); title: A London apprenticeship (1748-1749); title: Guadagni and Handel (1749-1755); title: Guadagni the actor; title: Building a career on the European stage (1755-1762); title: Guadagni in Vienna (1762-1765); title: Return to the Veneto (1765-1769); title: Success and scandal in London (1769-1771); title: Guadagni the composer; title: At home in Padua (1771-1782); title: The last decade (1782-1792); title: Guadagni the singer; title: Appendix A. Guadagni's dramatic roles; title: Appendix B. Guadagni's salary at the Santo; title: Appendix C. A selection of documents.