Από τους castrati στους σύγχρονους κόντρα τενόρους: Σύγκριση της τεχνικής, της φυσιολογίας και ερμηνείας των δυο φωνών στις πρωταγωνιστικές da capo άριες του G. F. Händel που ερμήνευσε ο Senesino
Date Issued
April 24, 2024
Type
Διδακτορική Διατριβή
Abstract
The investigation and comparison of the voice of the castrati, the singers of one of the darkest chapters in music history, with the contemporary, peculiar, and androgynous voice of the countertenors, who are closer to them in terms of sound, forms the field of research of the present thesis, which aims at the interpretation of the da capo aria in Georg Friedrich Händel's operas serie. The research also concerns the physiology of voices and the anatomy of the body, the differences in resonance and the mechanism of sound production, the function of breathing, the historical recording of the registri, the analysis and clarification of falsetto and head voice, as well as the unique historical recording of the last castrato, Alessandro Moreschi. Castrato Francesco Bernardi, known as Senesino, as the lead (Primo Uomo) in Händel's eighteen most famous operas, gained fame with his masterful interpretive transgressions and stunning performances, showcasing, among other things, the composer's motive to evoke emotions, passions, and profound sentiments in the audience. The historical path linking Senesino with the manuscript ornaments written by Domenico Corri, through Nicola Porpora, is also explored, and information is drawn from relevant sources of the time on the interpretation of the arias. The author, as a contemporary countertenor, interprets with baroque period instruments the ten most famous da capo arias from five operas composed by Händel for Senesino, adding ornaments to them, following a study of theoretical treatises of the era and research on the composer's annotated ornaments, providing a comprehensive rendition of Händel's vocal writing.
Subjects