The Castrato Sacrifice: Was it Justified? Page: 41
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were all paid on this Footing; but these prodigious Expences have ruined all the
Undertakers of the Opera at Venice, and drained the heaviest Purses in Italy... (Riccobini
1738)
Obviously, to pay these hefty singer salaries, other areas of the production had to be
compromised. The decline of the chorus in Baroque opera can be attributed directly to this
reason. It is a simple matter of finances. With more money going to pay the principal singers,
there was less money for a chorus. The focus was so heavily on these popular sopranos and altos
that many other aspects of an opera, including ensemble singers, were almost completely
overshadowed. Riccoboni continues:
On this Account, and in order to raise the vast Sums that are paid to their Performers,
they have for some Time past retrenched their expensive Machinery. (Riccoboni 1738)
Apparently, other vocalists were not the only facets that were entirely eclipsed by these
supernovas. Production elements such as machinery, sets, costumes, and even the orchestra were
cut back drastically in order to maintain these singers' salaries, especially in smaller opera
houses. Often sets were even reused each year, with a bit of subtle tweaking to fool an audience
that was so enamored by its favorite singers that they were easy to deceive with a few pieces of
last year's costumes and scenery, cleverly converted. Heriot gives us a picture of what one
might expect to see in one of the smaller town opera houses:
A visitor to the opera at one of the less important towns... would have heard some
excellent singing from one or two virtuosi in costumes of their own devising, amongst
dingy and tattered surroundings, and accompanied by an undisciplined scratch orchestra
composed largely of violins, and with the woodwind appallingly out of tune. (Heriot
1975)
Castrato salaries were undoubtedly the highest. Composers and even the female prima donnas of
the day were usually much lower rungs on the ladder of importance. At times the premiere
leading lady was paid comparably to the lead castrato, but she was the exception.41
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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/m1/44/: accessed May 13, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; .