The Sexed or Unsexed Voice on the Lyrical Stage in 18th-c. London

It is not the least of paradoxes that the castrati that performed in Italian opera both in Italy in the 17th century and on the London stage after the Restoration should have acted the parts of manly seducers, mighty kings or warriors in spite of their high-pitched, ‘feminine’ voices.  Roger Freitas...

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Main Author: Pierre Dubois
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Centre de Recherche "Texte et Critique de Texte" 2013-06-01
Series:Sillages Critiques
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.openedition.org/sillagescritiques/2894
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author Pierre Dubois
author_facet Pierre Dubois
author_sort Pierre Dubois
collection DOAJ
description It is not the least of paradoxes that the castrati that performed in Italian opera both in Italy in the 17th century and on the London stage after the Restoration should have acted the parts of manly seducers, mighty kings or warriors in spite of their high-pitched, ‘feminine’ voices.  Roger Freitas argues that in order to understand the predilection for castrato voices one need to take the erotic bodily dimension of the singers into account. The fascination exerted by this type of voices was closely linked to a contemporary conception of sexuality. This article consequently attempts to analyse, by opposition, the meaning and impact of the emergence of the oratorio genre. It argues that the rise of oratorio was accompanied by a re-composition and re-definition of the respective masculine and feminine territories and that the metamorphosis of the heroic voice on the English lyrical stage in the collective imagination may be interpreted as the allegorical index of a shift towards a “modern,” “Enlightened” conception of sexuality.
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spelling doaj-art-db8ff08b11eb4e38afa4156cc1b6758d2025-01-30T13:46:46ZengCentre de Recherche "Texte et Critique de Texte"Sillages Critiques1272-38191969-63022013-06-011610.4000/sillagescritiques.2894The Sexed or Unsexed Voice on the Lyrical Stage in 18th-c. LondonPierre DuboisIt is not the least of paradoxes that the castrati that performed in Italian opera both in Italy in the 17th century and on the London stage after the Restoration should have acted the parts of manly seducers, mighty kings or warriors in spite of their high-pitched, ‘feminine’ voices.  Roger Freitas argues that in order to understand the predilection for castrato voices one need to take the erotic bodily dimension of the singers into account. The fascination exerted by this type of voices was closely linked to a contemporary conception of sexuality. This article consequently attempts to analyse, by opposition, the meaning and impact of the emergence of the oratorio genre. It argues that the rise of oratorio was accompanied by a re-composition and re-definition of the respective masculine and feminine territories and that the metamorphosis of the heroic voice on the English lyrical stage in the collective imagination may be interpreted as the allegorical index of a shift towards a “modern,” “Enlightened” conception of sexuality.https://journals.openedition.org/sillagescritiques/2894oratoriosexualityCastratooperapitchbody
spellingShingle Pierre Dubois
The Sexed or Unsexed Voice on the Lyrical Stage in 18th-c. London
Sillages Critiques
oratorio
sexuality
Castrato
opera
pitch
body
title The Sexed or Unsexed Voice on the Lyrical Stage in 18th-c. London
title_full The Sexed or Unsexed Voice on the Lyrical Stage in 18th-c. London
title_fullStr The Sexed or Unsexed Voice on the Lyrical Stage in 18th-c. London
title_full_unstemmed The Sexed or Unsexed Voice on the Lyrical Stage in 18th-c. London
title_short The Sexed or Unsexed Voice on the Lyrical Stage in 18th-c. London
title_sort sexed or unsexed voice on the lyrical stage in 18th c london
topic oratorio
sexuality
Castrato
opera
pitch
body
url https://journals.openedition.org/sillagescritiques/2894
work_keys_str_mv AT pierredubois thesexedorunsexedvoiceonthelyricalstagein18thclondon
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