German Romanticism, Wagner, Strauss, and the Alto VoiceĬhapter 23. The Bel Canto Altos of Bellini and DonizettiĬhapter 21. Altos in Opéra Lyrique and Opéra ComiqueĬhapter 19. Caroline Unger (Ungher), The Forgotten Prima DonnaĬhapter 18. The Maestro and the Prima Donna AssolutaĬhapter 13. The Swan of Pesaro and I MusiciĬhapter 11. Gluck’s Basses-Dessus and Mozart’s AltosĬhapter 10. Faustina Bordoni and “Il Caro Sassone”Ĭhapter 7. Part I: The Alto Voice in the Baroque EraĬhapter 6. The exploration of the greatest altos’ careers and techniques offers inspiration for aspiring young singers as well as absorbing reading for the music lover who wants to know more about the fascinating world of opera. The music of the composers who wrote for the alto voice is discussed along with musical examples and suggestions for listening. Now, however, because of the talent and industry of such gifted artists as Marilyn Horne, Cecilia Bartoli, and Joyce DiDonato, and the sudden ease with which the performance of these forgotten works can be obtained, there is a resurgence of interest in the performance and preservation of this lost art.Īlto: The Voice of Bel Canto examines the careers of nearly 320 great alto singers, including the great castrati, from the dawn of opera in 1597 to the present.
New repertoire continued to be written for them by Rossini and others, but gradually, this musical tradition and technique was lost. At the beginning of the 19th century, as the castrati died out, their roles were often assumed by female altos referred to as musici. The music for these fantastic artists, written by such composers as Porpora, Vinci, Hasse, and even Handel, has been largely forgotten. In the 17th and 18th centuries, the male and female leading roles were likely to be sung by emasculated males, the alto castrati, although there were many great female altos during this period as well. This performer was referred to as an alto. Everyone is familiar with the words diva or prima donna, which have come to mean a (usually) outrageous operatic soprano, but there was a time when the star of the show was more often a contralto, or a soprano singing in today's mezzo-soprano range.
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