Écrits des castrats sur le chant 2

The castrati’s art is documented by few printed books with exercices, or treatises. The famous « Porpora’s sheet » (few exercices reputed to lead to high virtuosity) remains lost, even if a late English edition announces the contrary.

Only extant are numerous manuscript solfeggi, coposed by Neapolitan masters (Durante, Scarlatti, Leo, Aprile, etc.). In this context, the treatises by Pierfrancesco Tosi (1654-1732) and Giovanni Battista Mancini (1714-1800) are of great importance. We edited them in a first volume.

This one is a complement and shows the writings, exercices and solfeggi by Tenducci (famous by his adventures in London), Rauzzini (for whom Mozart composed some works), Pacchierotti (admired in all countries of Europa) and Crescentini (invited in France by Napoléon).

Each of these renowned artists proposes complementary elements : exercices and transposition by Tenducci, solfeggi by Rauzzini, ornamentation by Pacchierotti and interpretation (articulations and dynamics) by Crescentini.