18th Century Music Performance Analysis

Musical performances are evaluated on many different aspects, including if the performance is historically accurate. The Eightieth century Opera was an up and coming genre that was spreading its way through Europe. Opera’s style and aesthetics in the baroque period could always be traced back to its Italian roots. In Ryszard Daniel Golianek’s article In Search of a Perfect Performance of the 18th Century Opera; Johann George Silzer’s Lexicon as an Aesthetic Guide he states “three general conditions of a good performance are mentioned: Deutlichkeit(Thoroughness), Ausdruck (expression) and Schönbeit(beauty)”. (p.150) Castrati were often used in lead roles of baroque opera. When performing baroque opera today, conductors are left with a difficult descion on how to replace the castrato while still attempting to remain historically true to the values of the composition.

Schönbeit or the beauty of the music has strong ties to the aesthetic of the time period and it’s relation to the performers realization of the score. With beauty being an abstract

concept it can be hard to define, but at the same time the listener know when beauty is present. Golianek claims that players and singers should have beautiful sounds at their disposal. (p. 151) Ornamentation also played a significant role in the concept of beauty. Without the “decoration” true beauty could not be achieved. In baroque opera, composers left opportunities for the performers to add their own beauty by means of ornamentation, fermate and cadenzas. It was customary when a phrase was repeated that the second time the phrase should be performed with ornamentation. With out the ornamentation it would be considered an “improper performance”(p.151)
The second sphere of evaluation of a music performance is Deutlichkeit or musical thoroughness.

The key concept of thoroughness is tempo. It is important that the performer finds their tempo giusto, or desired tempo. (p. 150) Once the ideal tempo is found it should be maintained throughout all regular measures. Deutlichkeit seems to be one of the easiest of the three spheres to excel in outside or virtuosic passages, or when there is no tempo marking from the composer. If the composer leaves no tempo marking in vocal music such as opera, it is up to the performer to find clues in the text of the music. In Va lacito e nascosto, an aria from Handel’s Gulio Cesare, the composer leaves obvious clues to what the tempo giusto should be. The first two lines translate into “Silently and stealthily the cunning hunter moves”. It is clear that Handel is asking for a slower tempo than a typical walking or marching tempo. (p.

152)
The third sphere that Golianek uses to evaluate music is Ausdruck or expression in music. The choices made by conductors play a great role in determining the stylistic and artistic features of the performance. Golianek goes back to the example of Va lacito e nascosto to further explain his point. When composing this opera, Handel had the famous castrato singer Francesco Benardi for the lead role of Julio Caesar. Due to lack of castrato singers, contemporary composers are left with a choice of what to use in replacement. (p. 152) Conductors are left with three real options; using a female mezzo –soprano, a countertenor, or a male baritone. In What Handel’s Casting reveals about Singers of the Time, by Beverly Jerold states “ In his operas, Handel almost always avoided countertenors, using instead female altos for male roles when castrati were not available”. (p.141) Jerold’s claims reveal that if it were up to Handel a counter tenor would no be an option to replace castrati parts. The only type of singer that was employed more by Handel than castrati were female sopranos. (p.141)
The bias against countertenors still exists in contemporary performances. Some of the bias can be contributed to the misconception of what a countertenor is. In Laura E. DeMarco’s article The Fact of the Castrato and the Myth of the Countertenor says “the vocal category ‘countertenor’ is to assume that the counter tenor voice simply centers on the octave above the tenor voice” (p.174) Even without castrati, there are many males that are able to sing in this range, but there are different ways that can be achieved. A male alto can easily sing in the same range of a countertenor, but the difference is that a male alto uses the falsetto range of their voice. (p. 175) A true counter tenor is capable of singing an octave above the tenor without using the falsetto range of their voice. A true counter tenor, but then and now are incredibly rare. Unlike Handel, English composer Henry Purcell did not have the same bias against countertenors and male altos. Purcell employed both countertenors and male altos, not only in very same performance but sometimes in the very same piece. (p.176)
The tone production of a male alto or even a true countertenor pales in comparison to those of castrati. That is likely because that physical difference between the two types of performers. Castration of young boys prior to puberty disturbs the physical sequence of maturation. Following castration the larynx does not under go the typical changes that happen during puberty, leaving the singer in boyhood. (p.177)As the further develops in sing and in vocal skill the capacity of the lungs and the force of expiration rivals that of a full grown man. With that kind of lung capacity, castrati were a type of voice that was truly unique and in modern performance irreplaceable.
DeMarco mentions two modern substitutions for castrati, a female soprano or mezzo-soprano, or transposing the castrati part down into the range of the bass, neither of which are viewed with high regards. Both approaches have glaring flaws. When using a woman to play the role of a castrato, it should be of similar voice type, soprano or mezzo-soprano, and they should have a strong voice, while being able to sing fioritura. There is just not a many people who are capable of making that role. (p.182) The other option transposing the part is not adequate for the fact that it is not what the composer wanted. If Handel wanted to here a baritone play the lead role in an opera he would have written a baritone to sing the lead role in his opera’s. Modern performers and conductors are left with many difficult decisions when considering performing eighteenth century operas. Replacing castrati being one of them. It leaves them with a big question: Is it worth performing knowing that it could never be recreated how it composer originally intended it to be?