The Castrato Sacrifice: Was it Justified? Page: 38
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dramatic action or to further the plot of the opera, but to ensure that the most "important" singer
was showcased to the fullest. In a series of letters written by Metastasio to the theater manager
at Dresden is demonstrated just how far librettists and directors would go to appease the egos of
these singers:
This was how I regulated the characters' positions at the Imperial theatre. At moments,
when the action necessitates it, the more illustrious character may be at the left, but this
does not produce the least inconvenience. In the first place the right hand is not
considered the most eminent position by every nation; and, even if it were, the character
could make the left the most distinguished merely by walking across the stage.... If in
view of such considerations and necessities the more illustrious character is on the left,
and the lowlier one on the right, they can be distinguished in various ways, for instance
by placing the former a few steps ahead of the other, or by placing him in the middle of
the stage facing the audience, and the other a long way from him and further back,
sideways on to the audience and facing his superior... (Heriot 1975)
Stage management and direction was much less about the creation of an illusion for the audience,
but about ensuring the status quo for the performers.
This practice of ultimate singer appeasement even crept into the text of the opera.
Composers began to choose text based on how it would sound when sung, rather than to further
any dramatic plot or expression. Text became rather repetitious at times, as pleasant sounding
words were repeated almost exhaustingly, to give the singer the best possible vowels to sing on.
Composer Alessandro Scarlatti in particular made a practice of successively using "si" or "no" to
elaborate his text with melismas. Avoiding castrati was simply impossible for the composers of
Baroque vocal music. Monterverdi, Lotti, Gluck, Haydn, Mozart and all of the foremost
composers of the time wrote for castrati. Despite the music of these greats, staging, dramatic
text, and even the music itself were second tier to the whims and demands of these truly
superstar singers.
Like media celebrities of today, many of the more famous castrati were known for their
rather obnoxious behavior, both onstage and off. Court conversations as well as peasant chatter38
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Sowle, Jennifer. The Castrato Sacrifice: Was it Justified?, thesis, August 2006; Denton, Texas. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc5343/m1/41/: accessed May 12, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; .