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Rossini and AuthenticityAuthor(s): Philip GossettSource: The Musical Times, Vol. 109, No. 1509 (Nov., 1968), pp. 1006-1010Published by: Musical Times Publications Ltd.Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/952107.
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2/6
Rossini
and
Authenticity
Philip
Gossett
WhenGioachinoRossinidied 100years go, on
November
3, 1868,
he
eft world hat
onsidered
him remnantf
imes
ast.
Whateverhe
ause,
e
it
sickness,
dissatisfaction
ith
contemporary
artistic
endencies,
r
laziness,
Rossini
effectively
lived
n
semi-retirementrom 829until
is
death.
He
composed
othing
or
he
tage
fter
uillaume
Tell,
and
practically
othing
t
all
until
he
ast
decade
fhis
ife. His
operas, part
rom
I
barbiere
di
Siviglia,
were
n
little
emand;
his
musical tti-
tudes, xpressed
penly
to
correspondents,
ere
frankly
pposed
o
the
Wagnerian
deals
weeping
even
taly.
The
20th
entury
as
rediscoveredossini
uthas
scarcely egun o understandheartistic nviron-
ment
n which e
flourished. odern
udiences re
usually
ffered ersions
verladen
with
perform-
ance
traditions'-cuts,ubstitutions,
nd
alterations
of vocal
lines which
have
been
elevated,
n
our
fossilized
pera houses,
o the
statusof
dogma.
Most such
performance
raditions
re
unauthentic,
originally
ntroduced
erhaps
o fill
pecific
eeds,
and
pointlessly
erpetrated
n
generations
f un-
suspecting
pectators
nd innocent
erformers.
o
take a case whichhas been
corrected,
or
years
Bartolo's
rilliantria A
undottor'
romIbarbiere
was
traditionallyeplaced y
another,
Manca un
foglio'.
Written
y
Pietro omani or
revivalt the
Teatrodi Via PergolanFlorence nautumn 816,
'Manca
un
foglio'
ccurs
n
several
rinted
ditions
withouteferenceo
ts
rue
rigin.
Wecannot now
recisely
hat
rompted
omani
to
replace
he
riginal
ria,
but
comparison
f
the
two s
suggestive.
ossini's
omposition
akes e-
mands
n the
performerubstantially
ifferentrom
Romani's. The baritone
inging
A un dottor'must
have
complete
ontrol
f
the
range
rom
b
to
f'
an octave
nd a half
bove;
for
Manca
un
foglio'
he
needdescend
nly
o
eb. Furthermore,
he
atter
style
f
the
Allegro
ivace
n
Rossini's ria
requires
excellent
iction;
Romani's
is
rhythmically
ess
demanding.
The role
of
Bartolowas
originallywrittenorBartolomeootticelli,hilenFlorence
the
singer
was Paolo Rosich.
Rosich,
who
had
created Taddeo
in
Rossini's
L'italiana
in
Algeri
three
ears
arlier,
ad
a more imited
ocal
range
thanBotticelli.
othwere
omfortable
p tof',
but
only
Botticelli
ould
descend
with
ase to an
octave
and
a halfbelow.
IndeedBotticelli
ang
not
only
Taddeo
n
L'italiana
Milan, 814),
ut lso
Mustafa
(Parma,
1819),
a role
demanding
significantly
lower
tessitura. Rosich's
deficiencies
xplain
he
Florentineubstitution
ut
hardly
ustify
he
perpe-
tuation f
this
performance
radition'ormost f
the
19th
nd
part
of
the
20th
centuries. Even
singers
ble to
negotiate
he
original
ria
were
effectivelyequiredosingRomani's learlynferior
music.
This s notto
mply
hatwemust
weep way
ll
traditionsnd rediscoverhe true' textsof the
Rossini
peras.
The
problem
s
muchmore om-
plex,
nd involves
re-evaluationf our
attitudes
towards extual riticism. irst
nd
foremost,
he
term authentic'must
be understood: define n
authentic
ersion
f
an
opera by
Rossini s
any
versionwith
whichRossiniwas
directly
onnected
as
composer,
irector,
r
arranger.
his
oncept
ill
prove
more seful
n
considering
talian
pera
f
he
early
19th
century
han the usual
categories
f
original
r final
version. The notion f a final
version
ssumes
n
artistic
ommunity
n
which he
purpose
of revision
s
improvement,
n
some
absolute ense: whether r not we
agree
with
he
composer hathis finalword s best,we can be
relatively
ertain
hat
he
so
intended
t. For
com-
posers
of Italian
opera
in
this
period,
nd
for
Rossini n
particular,
his
assumption
s
simply
incorrect.
Almost
very
evival f n
opera
n
taly
nvolved
musical nd
textual
lterations,
ven
though
he
composer
arely
upervised
hem.
Changes ffecting
the
poem,
whether
n the
plot
or
only
n
specific
arias,
were
et forth
n
librettos
rintedocally
or
each revival
nd
preserving
hewords
ctually
ung
in
performance.?
uch lterations ere
rompted
y
various onsiderations.he
ndividual
equirements
of
he
ompany
ssembled ere
potent orce,
s we
have een bove.Thewhims f n mpresarior the
theatrical
abits ssociated
ith
city
ould lso
be
influential.
oman
udiences
ere
dverse
o
tragic
endings,
o the
oo-obliging
ossini
ntroducedn
eleventh-houreconciliation
n
theRoman evival
f
his
Otello
1820).
The
terpsichoreanequirements
f
the
Paris
Opera
were o embedded
n traditionhat
even
Wagner,
owever
rudgingly,
ad to submit
o
them;
Rossini
id ikewise
n his
French
eriod.
In this rtisticnvironment
hange
was a
process
more f
circumstance
han
f
creative
eed. This
s
not o
mply
hat
hange
s seldom or
he
etter,
ut
ratherhat t
s
not
necessarily
or he
better.
Given
a
Bartolo nable
o
ing
well
A
un
dottor',musicaldirector ust ecidewhethero lethimbutchert,
to
cut
t,
rto
replace
t
even
with
henon-authentic
'Manca un
foglio').
We
should
not
scorn
this
flexibility.iving
n
an
age
n
which he
work f rt
is often
egarded
s
an nviolable
ntity,
e
prefer
o
believe
hat
very
lement
s somehow
ecessary,
that evisionsremade
nly
n
order
o
bring
com-
position
loser
o ts
deal
form,
n
a Platonic
ense.
We
picture
eethoven
orking
hrough
series
f
sketches
o
reach or
nd,
often, inally
ttain
hat
perfection
hich
s
the
ompleted
ork f
rt.
This
viewhas coloured
ur attitudesowards
enres
nd
composers
orwhom
historically
nd
sociologically
it
s
inapplicable.
'I
have discussed this
general
problem
in
my
article 'Rossini's
Operas
and
their
Printed
Librettos,'
to be
published
in
the
pro-
ceedings
of the Tenth
Congress
of the IMS
(Ljubljana,
1967).
1006
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3/6
Peter
Whitehead's
costume
design
for
Taddeo
in
the
new
Sadler's
Wells
production
f
'L'italiana'
An
examination
f
contemporary
ources,
mong
them
Rossini's wn
autograph
manuscripts,
ther
manuscript
opies, printed
ibrettos,
nd
early
printed
ditions,
eveals
hat
most f
the
omposer's
operas
xist
n several ersions
hich
ould
properly
be
called
authentic.
A few
revisions,
uch
as the
Roman
travesty
f
Otello,
he
Parisian ersions f
Maometto
Secondo
and Moss
in
Egitto,
and
the
Ferrarese evision f Tancredi, ave long been
known.
The
number f times
ossiniwas nvolved
with uch
revivals, owever,
as
never een
recog-
nized.
Not
all involve xtensive
ewriting.
ften
only
single
ew ria s introduced.
ut f
we
con-
sider
ow
many
uch
pieces
here
re,
mosthitherto
unknown,
ur
picture
fRossini's
peratic
ctivities
changes
markedly.
L'italiana
in
Algeri,
or
xample,
recentlyerformed
t
Sadler's
Wells,
was revised
y
Rossini
t least
three
eparate
imeswithin hree
years
of
its
premiere.
On
each
occasion,
besides
introducing
inor
hanges
nd
cuts,
he
composer
prepared
n additional
major
ria.
Examinationf
the evidence
ertaining
o theserevisions
ill
de-
monstrate ow suchknowledgean be extracted
from
ontemporary
ources.
L'italiana
had its
premiere
n Venice
at
the
Teatro
n
San Benedetto
n
May
22,
1813.
During
the
following
ummermost of
the
original
ast
travelled
o
Vicenza,
where
hey
erformed
he
pera
at theTeatro retenio.
There
s
no reason
o think
Rossini
ccompanied
he
roupe,
ut
new
ompo-
sition
y
him
ertainly
id.
In
the ibretto
rinted
in
Vicenza,
sabella's
cavatina Cruda sorte mor
tiranno'
n the irstct
s
replaced
y
scena
'Cesso
alfin a
tempesta')
nd
a
new
aria
('Cimentando
venti
l'onde').
n the
utograph
core f
L'italiana,
locatedn theRicordiArchivesnMilan, hisnewscenaand aria in Rossini'shand is found s an
appendix
t the lose f he econd
ct.
Interestingly
the
riginal
omposition,
Cruda
orte ',
ppears
n
its
correct
osition
ut
n the
hana
of
a
copyist.
Whether ossini
omposed
henew
ria
n time
or
Maria
Marcolini,
he
riginal
sabella,
o
perform
t
in
Venice,
r
whether,
s seems
more
ikely,
he
inserted
t
first
n
Vicenza,
here
ow existed
wo
authentic
ompositions
etween
which
any
local
Isabella
could
freely
hoose.
Many
early
ibrettos
contain he ubstituteria, ndamong ontempor-
ary
manuscript opies
'Cimentando venti e
l'onde'
s
clearly
referred,ppearing
n leven
f
he
manuscripts
have
xamined,
ompared
ith
ive
or
'Cruda orte '.
The next
year,
on
April
12,
L'italiana
in
Algeri
was
revived
t
the eatro
Re
in
Milan.
The
Milanese
correspondent
f
the
Leipzig
Allgemeine
usik-
alische
Zeitung2
eported
hat:
At
the
nd of
thefirst ct as
well
s
the econd
Act,
he
ingers,long
with
Mr
Rossini
who
by
chance
had
come to
the
opening
night),
were
calledforth.
Rossini's
resence
as
probably
ot
by
hance'.
He
was
n Milan
n December
6,
1813
or
he
remiere
of Aureliano n Palmira and again on August 14,
1814 for
l
turco
n
Italia.
Apart
from
his
appear-
ance t theTeatro
Re
on
April
2,
nothing
s
known
of his whereabouts
uring
he
first
alf f
the
year,
but
he
probably
pent
much
f
this
ime
n Milan.
He
had
participated
n
the
evival f
Tancredi
t
the
Teatro
Re in
December
f
1813,
nd one
of
the
changes
ound
n the
ibretto
rinted
or
his
per-
formanze f
L'italiana
t that heatre
urely
tems
directly
rom
he
omposer.
indoro's
avatina
Ah
come
l
cordi
giubilo'
was
replaced
y
nother
iece,
21814,
xvi,
col 451
Recentlyublished
ROSSINI
by
HerbertWeinstock
?5
'An admirable
iography
. .
will
probably
remain tandard or long ime.'
NewYorker
'Mr Weinstock as
caught
n his
netmost f
what
nyone
ould
possibly
want
to know.'
Times
Literary Supplement
Oxford
University
Press
MusicDepartment,4Conduit treetLondonW1
1007
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4/6
whose
text
begins
Concedi,
mor
pietoso'.
The
music s
found n
Rossini's
utographmanuscript,
although
his
particular
election
s
not
n
Rossini's
hand.
The
inclusion f
Concedi,
mor
pietoso'
n the
autograph
core
ndicates hat
he
manuscript
tself
figured
n
this
evival.
Rossini
resumably
ad
re-
tained
t
after he
Venetian
remiere
nd
brought
t
with im oMilan. Thispartiallyxplainswhy he
manuscript
s
now
ocated
n the
Ricordi
Archives,
forGiovanni
icordiwas
responsible
t
this ime
or
most f
hemusic
opying
one
n Milan.
From
his
vantage oint
he
gradually
ntroducedlauses
nto
his
contracts
hich
ot
only
gave
him
publication
rights
or
he
music e
copied,
ut lso
secured im
rights
ver he
ctual
utograph anuscripts.3
Musically,
s
well,
t
is
highly
nlikely
nyone
other hanthe
composer
ould
have nserted his
piece,
for he
cabaletta
f
Concedi,
mor
pietoso'
was
ctually
orrowed
rom
n earlier
ossini om-
position,
Dolci
d'amor
arole'.
The
history
fthis
latter
iece
s
very omplex.
t
was
originally
he
entranceriafor ancredin the pera f hat ame,
butwas
rejected y
he reator f the
ole,
Adelaide
Malanotte-Montr6sor,
ven
before
he first
er-
formance.
n its
place
Rossini
omposed
Di tanti
palpiti', piece
whose ame
apidly
ecame
egend-
ary.
Rossini
arely
wasted musical dea
he
con-
sidered
orthwhile,owever,
nd o the abaletta
f
this
ria
was included n the
piece
added forthe
Milanese
evival
f
L'italiana.
Rossini's
resence
t
the
opening,
he
appearance
of
'Concedi,
amor
pietoso'
n
the
utograph
core,
nd the elf-borrow-
ing
evident
n this
composition,
ll
combine
o
justify
he
hypothesis
hat
Rossini
ersonally
dded
thenew
movement,
ven
though
he
autograph
s
lost. He
composed
he
first
art
new nd
adapted
the
econd
art
rom
heTancredi
abaletta.4
Soonafter,ossini egan heNeapolitan hase f
his
areer,
hich
as o ast
rom
he
utumn
f
1815
through
822.
He introduced
imself
o
Naples
with
both new
opera
nd revivals
f older nes.
The
Giornaledelle due
Sicilie of October
31,
1815 asserts
that
Rossini's
S.. Elisabetta
regina
d'Inghilterra
s
greeted
with
evermore
pplause
n the
tage
f San
Carlo,
where,
o the
lory
f
taly
nd to the
dmiration
of all
Europe,
he
great
omposers
f music's
most wonderful
poch
were
formed
nd nur-
tured.
And at theTeatro
dei Fiorentini,
hich
still
esounds
ith hemelodiousccents f the
imaginative
imarosa nd
of the tender nd
passionatePaisiello,his Italiana n Algeri is
greeted
imilarly].
There
s no direct
roof
that Rossini
personally
supervised
his
evival,
ut
s
none f
his
operas
ad
been
performed
n
Naples
before
his
arrival t
appears
uite
ikely
hat
e
would
havedirected
his
production
f
L'italiana.
Furthermore,
ne
of
the
revisions
ndicated
n the
printed
ibretto
nd con-
3The
story
of
Giovanni Ricordi's rise to
power
is told
by
Claudio
Sartori
n
his
Casa
Ricordi 808-1958
Milan,
1958).
4I
have discussed
his
omplex
f
pieces
n
greater
etail
n
my
articleGli
autografi
ossiniani
l Museo
Teatrale lla Scala
di
Milano',
in the
Bollettino
del
Centro
rossiniano di
studi
(1967),
Anno
(nuova
serie),
8-54,
5-8.
Afterhe uccessfVerdi arities'
B/SB6748CA
Miss
Caball6
owreveals ossini
n an
unsuspected
range
f
moods100
RCA
talianaOperaOrchestrandChorus
conducted
y
CarloFeliceCillario
La Donna del
Lago;
Tanti Affetti
n
Tal
Momento;
Otello:
O
Tu,
Del Mio
Dolor;
AssisaA'Pie D'un Salice;
Stabat
Mater:
Inflammatus
t
Accensus;
Armida:
D'Amore
al Dolce
Impero;
Tancredi:
O
Patria
olce;
Tu
Che Accendi
Questo
Core;
Di
Tanti
Palpiti;
L'Assedio di Corinto:
L'Ora Fatal S'Appressa;
Giusto
Ciel
In
Tal
Periglio.
1008
Rossini
arities
B6771
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5/6
tained
n
contemporary
anuscript
eems
ertainly
to
have
ssued rom ossini's and.
Isabella's
second-act
ondo,
Pensa alla
Patria',
although
highly
uccessful
omposition,
ed
a
chequered
areer.
For an
1819
Romanrevival
he
first
ine
was
altered o
read
Pensa
alla
sposa',pre-
sumably thereby liminating
ubversive
atriotic
sentiments.his
may
r
may
nothavebeen
factor
inNaples,but nany vent herondowasreplaced
there
y
an
aria,
Sullo
stil
de'
viaggiatori'.
The
manuscript
ontaining
his
piece5
was
prepared,
appropriately,
n the
Copiesteria
e'
Teatro
de'
Fiorentini.
part
rom he ircumstantial
vidence,
theres internalvidence hatRossini
repared
his
new
omposition.
neof the hemes
sedto
ntro-
duce the abaletta
n the
econd
half
f
the ria
s
borrowed
irectly
rom
he
infoniaf
L'italiana.
t
seems
highly nlikely
hat
anyone
would have
taken
his
privilege
ith
Rossini'smusic nder
his
very
ose
except
Rossinihimself.
ncidents
f the
composer
orrowing
hemes rom n
overture
or
use
within
n
opera,
or
building
n
overturerom
themeslready resentnthe pera, oback t east
to Tancredi
1812).
Unlike
the
other wo
com-
positions
iscussed
bove,
Sullo stil
e'
viaggiatori'
never
pread
o other
pera
houses.
Additionalminor
hanges
were
ntroduced or
each
of
these evivals: ecitative
as
altered,
ntire
compositions
r
parts
f
compositions
ere
ut,
tc.
From
ll
these evisions
merges
fount f
uthentic
material
r
authentic ersions rom
which
per-
forming
ext ouldbe
adapted
o the
equirements
f
a
local
situation r the
preferences
f
given
per-
formers.
his s
precisely
he
way
uchmaterial
as
used
n
Rossini's
ime,
lthough
mpresarios
id
not
hesitate hen
to
adopt
non-authentic
s
well as
authenticlterations. ewmanuscriptsfthe ime
preserve
naltered
he
riginal
ersion
f
the
pera;
few
printed
ibrettos
o not
testify
o
the
iberties
taken
with t.
Excesses
xisted,
f
course,
nd
for
revivals
f
ertain
peras
s
many
s half
he
riginal
compositions
ere ltered
r
replaced
without he
composer's
onsent.While
ondemning
he
xces-
ses,
we would
e
misguided
o treat
ossini's
peras
with
reater
espect
han id the
omposer
imself.
Atthe eastwe hould
nderstand
hat
heres no
one
correct
ext
ormostRossini
peras.
The
best
ext
is
that
one, adapted
with
sensitivity
rom the
authentic
ersions,
hich est uits
he
equirements
of
a
specific
et
of
theatrical
onditions.
In definingn authenticersion f an opera,
nowhere sserted
hat
Rossini
himself
ecessarily
composed
ll
the
music
performed
n
authentic
versions fhis
operas.
t
has
ong
been
known hat
on
several
ccasions, ressed
or
time,
he asked
other
omposers
o
provide
music or
he
original
version f
an
opera.
One Luca
Agolini
wrote hree
compositions
or
he
riginal
ersion
f
La
Ceneren-
tola,
wo of which
'Vasto
teatro
6
l
mondo'
nd
'Sventurata
i
credea')
re found
n
every rinted
edition fthe
pera
lthough
t
s
commonly
nown
they
re
not
by
Rossini. Giovanni
Paciniwrote
several
compositions
orthe
original
ersion f
Matilde di
Shabran. Even
though
Rossini
later re-
placedPacini'smusicwith ew ompositionsf his
own,
ll
printed
ditions f the
opera
preserve
he
jMilan,
Bibl. del
Conservatorio
Verdi,
Noseda
1-86-1,
2
Rossini
Operas
L'Italiana in
Algeri
...a
most
delightful,
xhilarating
ssue..."
The Gramophone
with
Berganza,
Corena,
Alva,
Panerai,
Montarsolo
etc
and
the
chorus
nd
orchestra f
the
Maggio
Musicale
Fiorentino
conducted
by
Silvio
Varviso
O
SET 262-4
O
MET 262-4
Decca
11
Barbiere
di
Siviglia
with
Berganza,
Ausensi, Ghiaurov,
Benelli,
Corena
etc
and
the
Orchestrand
Chorus
Rossinidi
Napoli
conducted
y
Silvio
Varviso
0 SET
285-7
0
MET
285-7
Decca
La
Cenerentola
with
Simionato,
Benelli,
Bruscantini,
Montarsolo,
the
Chorus
nd
Orchestra f
the
Maggio
Musicale
Fiorentino
conducted
by
De
Fabritiis
O
SET
265-7
0
MET
265-7
Decca
Semiranmide
wvith
utherland,
Home, Serge,
Rouleau,
the Ambrosian
Opera
Chorus
and
the London
Symphony
Orchestra
conducted
by
Richard
Bonynge
O
SET
317-9
@MET
317-9
Decca
For
the
many
other
outstanding
recordings
of
opera
on
Decca
Group
Records
please
consult
your
dealer.
DmECC
tereo or
mono
records
The Decca
Record
Company
Limited
Decca
House
Albert
Embankment
London
SE1
1009
This content downloaded from 83.244.189.222 on Thu, 17 Apr 2014 10:06:57 AMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsphttp://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsphttp://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp8/11/2019 Rossini and Authenticity
6/6
Pacini
pieces.
Rossini's
ave
goneunpublished.
This ist
ould
asily
e extended.
xaminationf
Rossini's
utograph
cores eveals
many
ieces
not
in
the
omposer's
and.
It
would
be
imprudent
o
suggest
hat
ll
such
pieces
were
robably
ot
om-
posed
by
Rossini.
Within
he
utograph anuscript
of L'italiana
found
n
the
Ricordi
Archives,
or
example,heduet Ai capricci ella orte' snot n
Rossini's and. But
he
utograph
f
his
articular
composition
oes
exist,
n
the collection
f
the
MuseoTeatrale
lla
Scala of
Milan.
Still,
n
many
instances
ieces
ot
n
Rossini's
and
n
n
autograph
score
may
wellnotbe hisown
ompositions.
one
of
the
ecco
recitative
n
theL'italiana
utograph
s
in
Rossini's
hand,
nd
it
seems lear hathe must
have asked
an
associate
o
compose
t.
Similarly,
Haly's
ria
Le
femmine
'Italia'
s
n the
hand
f a
copyist.
n
operas
or
which
ossini
efinitely
sed
collaborators,
he
pieces
for
econdary
haracters
were
enerally
ntrustedo esser
ands.
The
same
may
have
been rue ere.
Another xample s found n Adina, short
Rossinifarce
erformed
t
Oxford
n
the
English
BachFestival
his
ummer.
n
the
utograph
core f
Adina,
ocated
n
theFondazione
ossini
f
Pesaro,
several
ieces
renot n
the
omposer's
and. These
include
hree
rias
borrowed rom
n
earlier
pera,
Sigismondo,
s
well s
all
therecitativend
a
duet
('Se
non
m'odi,
mio
esoro').
The
duet s
not ound
in
a
neat
opy
but
notated
n what
eems
o
be
a
more rratic and.
t
appears
ikely
hat his
ection
of
he
manuscript
s
actually composing
core-but
obviously
otRossini's.Evenwithin
he
utograph
score
f I
barbiere,ontrary
o most
pinion,
here
are
passages
f
recitativeot
n
Rossini's
and nd
probably repared
or
he
opera by
someone
lse.
Still,uch assagesndcompositionsere pproved
by
he
omposer
nd o must econsidered
uthentic.
There s
scarcely
n
opera by
Rossininot beset
with
erious extual
roblems.
he xistence
f
hese
problems
s
just
now
being recognized
nd
ap-
proaches
o
them
re
being
worked ut. Editions f
Rossini's
operas
are
needed
containing
ll
the
authentic
aterial or
ach
opera.
Equally
mport-
ant,
those who
produce
hese
operas
must
resist
'performance
raditions'
n favour f
careful
ssess-
ment f their
ompanies
with
he
im
of
achieving
the most
satisfactory
erformance
ased on the
authenticmaterial.
Certain
practices,
ike the
omission
f
every
abaletta
epeat,
must
e
recog-
nized or he ravestiesfRossini's tyle heyre-
far
better
o cut an
entire
omposition,
s
Rossini
himself
id
on
many
ccasions,
han
rutally
o dis-
figure
lmost
very
iece
n an
opera. Only
with his
attitudean we
begin
o
approach
Rossini's
peras
withboth the
respect
ue to the foremost
talian
composer
f
the
irst alf f
he
9th
entury
nd the
irreverence
e
himself
howed o
hisworks.
Couperin
on
the
Harpsichord
WilfridMellers
Less
than 0
years go,Couperin
asconsidered
n
amiable
renchminiaturist.
oday
we
accept
him
as a
great
uropean
omposer;
nd this
hange
n
attitudes
nseparable
rom
change
nour
pproach
to the
performance
f
baroque
music.
We
have
learned
hat
authenticity
n
performance
s not
a
matter
f
antiquarian
nterest;
t
may
determine
whetherr
not
he
music ives or
s.
We havedis-
covered
hat
Handel's
oratorios re heroic
peras,
without
tage
ction,
n biblical
ubjects:
nd
that
their
mpact
s
greater,
ot
less,
f
they
re
per-
formed
with
baroque
rhetoric ather
han with
sanctimonioususterity.We have discoveredoo
that Bach's
cantatas nd Passions
paradoxically
sound more
powerful
hen
performed
y
small
forces,
n chamber-music
tyle,
with
ppropriate
ornamentation
nd
phrasing.
If
Bach and Handel
make
better
ensewhen
er-
formed
with
some
approach
to
authenticity,
Couperin
erformed
ithout istorical
wareness,
makes
lmost o sense
t
all:
and this
s not
imply
because
e s the ess universal'
omposer.
he sen-
sible
Dr
Burney-using
he
djective
n ts
modern
Englishmeaning-complained
hat
lthough
oup-
erin
was
a
fine
composer
he so crowded
nd
deformed is
piecesbybeats,
rills
nd shakes
hat
noplain otewas eft'. ut o he ensible
Couperin--
using
the
adjective
n
its French
meaning-these
graces
were neither
decorative'
nor
'inessential'
notes,
s
the
textbooks
o
misleadingly
all
them.
They
were ssentialnd
structural,
ecause
part
f
the
ine nd
harmony:ynonymous
ith he
races,
the
refinements,
f human
eeling.
his s
what
we
might
xpect:
or
ouperin
ived
n world
nwhich
the
most
rivial
oint
f
etiquette
ntailed eference
to
a
serious
ode ofvalues.
We
can
perhaps
est
pproach
he
roblem
f
he
graces
n
harpsichord
usic
yway
of
the elation-
ship
between
arpsichord
nd
ute.
n
the
arly
7th
century
he utewas the
upreme
nstrument
f
the
French alon:
nd the eason
s not
far o
seek.
The
lute's one-colours rarefiedndexquisite. hough
soft,
t
is
capable
of
an
infinite
ariety
f
nuance;
moreover,
incethe
strings
re
directly
nder
he
control
f he
layer's
ingers
which
re
the
ervants
of his
passionate
heart and
intelligent
ead)
it
speaks
withntimate
umanity.
hedissonant
obs,
the
ortamento
ighs,
he
azeof
ioriture
ith
which
the
composer-virtuosi
mbellished
heir
dance-
structures ere
not
designed
rimarily
o exhibit
technical
kill;
heir
urpose
as to
make he
nstru-
ment
peak
more
feelingly.
The
harpsichord
esembles
he
ute n
being
plucked
tring
nstrument.
t
differs
rom he
ute
n
that he
trings
re
plucked
ot
by
he
ingers,
ut
yquills peratedymechanicalacks. Inevitably,he
harpsichord
usted
he
ute
as solo
instrument
s
musicbecame
ess
intimate,
ore
the servant
f
1010
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