Venanzio Rauzzini in Britain

Castrato, Composer, and Cultural Leader
Erscheinungsjahr 2015
ISBN: 978-1-58046-532-8
Verlag: University of Rochester Press

Buch, Englisch, Band 125, 414 Seiten, Print PDF, Format (B × H): 157 mm x 235 mm, Gewicht: 823 g

Reihe: Eastman Studies in Music

Examines the remarkable career of leading soprano castrato Venanzio Rauzzini (1746-1810), the first castrato to make Britain his home.

Venanzio Rauzzini (1746-1810), the celebrated Italian castrato, is best known for his performance in Mozart's Lucio Silla in 1772, with which Mozart was so pleased that he composed for the singer the famous motet Exsultate Jubilate. In 1774, Rauzzini moved to London where he performed three seasons of serious operas at the King's Theatre. From 1777 until his death in 1810, he was the director of the concert series in Bath, a series that matched the prestige of any that were given in London. In addition, he composed prolifically, writing music for eleven operas.

This book is a study of Rauzzini's remarkable yet often overlooked career in Britain. Paul Rice chronicles Rauzzini's performances at the King's Theatre and examines his leadership of the Bath subscription concerts from 1780-1810, recovering much of the repertory. Rice shows in detail how Rauzzini responded musically to the social and political conditions of his adopted country, and analyzes the castrato's reception, as well as compositional choices, shedding new light on changing musical tastes in late eighteenth-century Britain.

Paul F. Rice is Professor of Musicology at the School of Music, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Rice, Paul F.

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Geschichtliche Themen Kultur- und Ideengeschichte
• Geisteswissenschaften Musikwissenschaft Musikwissenschaft Allgemein Einzelne Komponisten und Musiker
• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Weltgeschichte & Geschichte einzelner Länder und Gebietsräume Geschichte einzelner Länder Europäische Länder England, UK, Irland: Regional & Stadtgeschichte
• Geisteswissenschaften Musikwissenschaft Geschichte der Musik Geschichte der Musik: Klassik (ca. 1750-1830)

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Preface
Rauzzini's European Career
A Debut Season at the King's Theatre, 1774-75
Two Further Seasons at the King's Theatre, 1775-77
Concerts and Composing, 1774-81
A Continuing Relationship with the King's Theatre
A Life in Bath
The Bath Concerts
Final Curtain
Appendix A: Concert Programs, 1786-1810
Appendix B: Operatic Roles Performed by Venanzio Rauzzini
Notes
Bibliography
Index

Über Autor(innen)

Paul F. Rice, Professor of Musicology in the School of Music, Memorial University of Newfoundland, is the author of four previous books and has edited scores for CD recordings on the Naxos, Dorian, and Centaur labels.