Casting Issues in the Original Production of Purcell's Opera ‘The Fairy‐Queen’
2003; Oxford University Press; Volume: 84; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1093/ml/84.4.596
ISSN1477-4631
Autores Tópico(s)Diverse Musicological Studies
ResumoA small piece of contemporary evidence that has come to light suggests that the roles of both Titania and Oberon in Purcell's The Fairy‐Queen were performed by child players. The proposition is supported by evidence from the Epilogue, which contains sentiments paralleling those found in similar texts from works known to have been performed by juvenile actors. Viewing the opera's text with this evidence in mind, it is possible to see that the rigid division between spoken and sung sections is a byproduct of the use of juveniles, and that the size of the players influenced other details of the opera's construction, performance, and staging.
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