The World of the Castrati by Patrick Barbier
Patrick Barbier's entertaining and authoritative book is the first full study of the subject in the context of the baroque period. Covering the lives of more than sixty singers from the end of the sixteenth century to the nineteenth, he blends history and anecdote as he examines their social origins and backgrounds, their training and debuts, their brilliant careers their relationship with society and the Church, and their decline and death. The castrati became a legend that still fascinates us today. Thousands flocked to hear and see these singing hybrids - part man, part woman, part child - who portrayed virile heroes on the operatic stage, their soprano or contralto voices weirdly at variance with their clothes and bearing. The sole surviving scratchy recording tells us little of the extraordinary effect of those voices on their audiences - thrilling, unlike any sound produced by the normal human voice. Illustrated with photographs and engravings, the book ranges from the glories of patronage and adulation to the darker side of a fashion that exploited the sons of poor families, denied them their manhood and left them, when they were old, to decline into poverty and loneliness. It is a story that will intrigue opera-lovers and general readers alike, superbly told by a writer who has researched his subject with the thoroughness of a true enthusiast.
It is hard to understand how 17th and 18th century Italy managed somehow to accept the idea of castration, even for musical reasons.. Professor Barbier's book explains it in a way that makes the operatic conventions sound almost reasonable, giving us a full picture of the training, techniques and personalities of the castrati themselves. * Sunday Telegraph *
Authoritative and entertaining. * Daily Mail *
Patrick Barbier's history of opera's most bizarre subplot is both scholarly and fun. * Daily Telegraph *
A vibrant and engrossing study. * Irish Times *
Authoritative and entertaining. * Daily Mail *
Patrick Barbier's history of opera's most bizarre subplot is both scholarly and fun. * Daily Telegraph *
A vibrant and engrossing study. * Irish Times *
Patrick Barbier is a Professor of Music at the West Catholic University in Angers. He has also written the highly acclaimed Vivaldi's Venice, published by Souvenir Press.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780285634602 |
| ISBN 10 | 0285634607 |
| Title | The World of the Castrati |
| Author | Patrick Barbier |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Profile Books Ltd |
| Year published | 1998-09-24 |
| Number of pages | 282 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |