Venanzio Rauzzini in Britain : castrato, composer, and cultural leader

Author(s)

• Rice, Paul F. (Paul Francis)

Bibliographic Information

Venanzio Rauzzini in Britain : castrato, composer, and cultural leader

Paul F. Rice

（Eastman studies in music, [v. 125]）

University of Rochester Press, 2015

Note

Includes bibliographical references (p. 383-393) and index

Series number from CIP

Description and Table of Contents

Description

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.

Table of Contents

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

by "Nielsen BookData"

• NCID: BB23452104
• ISBN:
  • 9781580465328
• LCCN: 2015018034
• Country Code: us
• Title Language Code: eng
• Text Language Code: eng
• Place of Publication: Rochester, N.Y.
• Pages/Volumes: xii, 402 p.
• Size: 24 cm
• Classification:
  • LCC : ML420.R2865
  • DC23 : 782.1092
• Subject Headings:
  • LCSH : Rauzzini, Venanzio, 1746-1810
  • LCSH : Castrati -- Italy -- Biography
  • LCSH : Music -- Great Britain -- 18th century -- History and criticism
• Parent Bibliography ID:
  • BA27676296