Angels and monsters
Subtitle: male and female sopranos in the story of opera, 1600-1900
By: Richard Somerset-Ward
Publisher: Yale University Press
Published: 2004
Place of publication: New Haven
Language: eng
Number of pages: 325
Subjects: Opera; Sopranos (Singers)
Description: "During its first two centuries, opera was dominated by sopranos. There were male sopranos, or castrati, whose supercharged voices (female vocal cords powered by male lungs) were capable of feats of vocalism that are hard to imagine today. And there were female sopranos, or prime donne, whose long battle for social acceptance and top billing was crowned in the early nineteenth century when the castrati disappeared from the opera stage and left them supreme."

"Whether they were male or female, these singers wre amazing vertuosi, perhaps the greatest singers there have ever been - "angels." Unfortunately, some of them (and often the most famous) were also capable of behaving extremely badly, both on and off stage - "monsters." This book tells their colorful stories."--Jacket.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 293-310) and index
Table of contents: title: Caccini's pupils; title: Getting away with murder: the prima donna comes of age; title: Porpora's pupils; title: The castrato ascendancy; title: Après Gluck and the time of Mozart; title: Prime donne assolute; title: The world's showcase : Paris 1800-1871; title: Dramatic singing : the Verdian soprano; title: Heroic singing : the Wagnerian soprano; title: Marchesi's pupils