The Art of Castrates is based on few printed documents of a technical nature (methods, treaties). The famous Porpora leaf remains unknown, even if a late English edition claims the opposite, and there are still many solfeggi composed by the Neapolitan masters (Durante, Scarlatti, Leo, Aprile, etc.). In this context, the writings of Pierfrancesco Tosi (1654-1732) and Giovanni Battista Mancini (1714-1800) take on an inestimable value. Heirs of the greatest performers, these two castrates leave us a sum on singing, addressing all the facets of vocal art in the eighteenth century. A second volume, an indispensable complement to this one, brings together the writings and exercises of Venanzio Rauzzini (1746-1810), Giusto Fernando Tenducci (1736-1790), Girolamo Crescentini (1762-1846) and Gaspare Pacchierotti (1740-1821), as well as various musical pieces.
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