<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<p>Despite the rather pejorative implications that the musical pasticcio has today, it may have been an appreciated art form in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The term <italic>pasticcio</italic> is clearly derived from the culinary pasticcio, which was a highlight at aristocratic banquets in this time. The mixture of tastes and the spectacular presentation which characterises the culinary pasticcio, as well as the contemporary concept that culinary as well as painted ‘pasticcios’ are distinguished by ‘unity amidst variety’, can equally be found in the musical pasticcio. Several layers can be perceived, exemplified by the pasticcio <italic>Arione</italic> (Milan 1694) and those which George Frideric Handel and the Mingotti opera troupe staged in London and other places. The ‘noble’ pasticcio may be defined as characterised by a musical idea which, like a pastry, covers the entire piece and relates the individual elements to the whole. If it is lacking, the pasticcio becomes a conglomerate of music, like a dish whose ingredients are all thrown together.</p>
</abstract>

Despite the rather pejorative implications that the musical pasticcio has today, it may have been an appreciated art form in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The term pasticcio is clearly derived from the culinary pasticcio, which was a highlight at aristocratic banquets in this time. The mixture of tastes and the spectacular presentation which characterises the culinary pasticcio, as well as the contemporary concept that culinary as well as painted ‘pasticcios’ are distinguished by ‘unity amidst variety’, can equally be found in the musical pasticcio. Several layers can be perceived, exemplified by the pasticcio Arione (Milan 1694) and those which George Frideric Handel and the Mingotti opera troupe staged in London and other places. The ‘noble’ pasticcio may be defined as characterised by a musical idea which, like a pastry, covers the entire piece and relates the individual elements to the whole. If it is lacking, the pasticcio becomes a conglomerate of music, like a dish whose ingredients are all thrown together.

The Art of ‘Cooking’ a Pasticcio: Musical Recipes and Ingredients for Pasticcio Operas

Institut für Kirchenmusik und Musikwissenschaft

Ernst Moritz Arndt-Universität Greifswald

Musicology Today

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Despite the rather pejorative implications that the musical pasticcio has today, it may have been an appreciated art form in the seventeenth and eighteenth...

The Art of ‘Cooking’ a Pasticcio: Musical Recipes and Ingredients for Pasticcio Operas

Published Online: Dec 31, 2021

Page range: 20 - 34

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/muso-2021-0004

Keywords
opera, pasticcio, work concept, musical terminology

© 2021 Berthold Over, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The Art of ‘Cooking’ a Pasticcio: Musical Recipes and Ingredients for Pasticcio Operas

Published Online: Dec 31, 2021

Page range: 20 - 34

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/muso-2021-0004

Keywordsopera, pasticcio, work concept, musical terminology

© 2021 Berthold Over, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Keywords
opera, pasticcio, work concept, musical terminology