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

<p>Operatic pasticcio and the need for experiencing pleasure were inseparable in eighteenth-century operatic theatre, as can be demonstrated on the example of <italic>L’abbandono di Armida</italic>, a pasticcio that was performed in the Venetian Teatro San Giovanni Grisostomo on the last day of the 1729 carnival and gained considerable success. The article discusses the ingredients of pleasure derived from experiencing the pasticcio, which seems to have been multi-layered (the word ingredients used here perfectly reflects the <italic>haute cuisine</italic> roots of the pasticcio). The librettist Giovanni Boldini re-used for <italic>Armida</italic> arias from successful operas by Nicola Porpora, Tomaso Albinoni (?), Leonardo Leo, Leonardo Vinci, and Benedetto Marcello. Five arias have been analysed in order to exemplify the diversity of musical pleasure that the audience could experience. The final question is whether the pleasure drawn from a pasticcio is limited to one historical period, or possibly it presents a more universal appeal.</p>
</abstract>

Operatic pasticcio and the need for experiencing pleasure were inseparable in eighteenth-century operatic theatre, as can be demonstrated on the example of L’abbandono di Armida, a pasticcio that was performed in the Venetian Teatro San Giovanni Grisostomo on the last day of the 1729 carnival and gained considerable success. The article discusses the ingredients of pleasure derived from experiencing the pasticcio, which seems to have been multi-layered (the word ingredients used here perfectly reflects the haute cuisine roots of the pasticcio). The librettist Giovanni Boldini re-used for Armida arias from successful operas by Nicola Porpora, Tomaso Albinoni (?), Leonardo Leo, Leonardo Vinci, and Benedetto Marcello. Five arias have been analysed in order to exemplify the diversity of musical pleasure that the audience could experience. The final question is whether the pleasure drawn from a pasticcio is limited to one historical period, or possibly it presents a more universal appeal.

Pasticcio and Pleasure. <italic>L’abbandono di Armida</italic> (Venice 1729)

Musicology Today

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

Operatic pasticcio and the need for experiencing pleasure were inseparable in eighteenth-century operatic theatre, as can be demonstrated on the example of...

Pasticcio and Pleasure. L’abbandono di Armida (Venice 1729)

Published Online: Dec 31, 2021

Page range: 35 - 52

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/muso-2021-0005

Keywords
pasticcio, pleasure, Nicola Porpora, Breslau, Boldini, Venice

© 2021 Aneta Markuszewska, published by Sciendo

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

Pasticcio and Pleasure. L’abbandono di Armida (Venice 1729)

Published Online: Dec 31, 2021

Page range: 35 - 52

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/muso-2021-0005

Keywordspasticcio, pleasure, Nicola Porpora, Breslau, Boldini, Venice

© 2021 Aneta Markuszewska, published by Sciendo

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

Keywords
pasticcio, pleasure, Nicola Porpora, Breslau, Boldini, Venice