The Modern Castrato: Gaetano Guadagni and the Coming of a New Operatic Age, Howard Patricia

The first full-length biography of this outstanding singer, The Modern Castrato illuminates the everyday lives of eighteenth-century singers while spotlighting the historic high points of the century. Most famous for his creation of the role of Orpheus in Glucks Orfeo ed Euridice, his career ranged
widely and brought him into contact with many progressives theorists and composers such as Traetta, Jommelli, and Bertoni. Howards focus on the development of Guadagnis career pauses on essential, related topics along the way, such as the castrato in society, the eighteenth-century revolution in
acting, and the remarkable evidence for Guadagnis marionette theater. Howard also assesses Guadagnis surviving compositions, which give new insight into the quality and character of his voice as well as his technical and expressive abilities. The Modern Castrato is an engaging narrative that will
prove essential reading for opera lovers and scholars of eighteenth-century music.