Vocal Writing for Solo Soprano Voices in Oratorios by Antonio Salieri

Marlayna Maynard

Data is provided by the student.

Abstract

Antonio Salieri (1750-1825) was a well-respected composer who served the Hapsburg court in Vienna as Hofkapellmeister for thirty-six years, from 1788-1824; his students included such luminaries as Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827), Franz Schubert (1797-1828), Johann Nepomuk Hummel (1778-1837), and Maria Theresia Paradis (1759-1824). Today, he is remembered mostly for his operas, and for his rivalry and friendship with Mozart. Salieris oratorios have received less attention from scholars than his other works. This study is an analysis of three roles for soprano voice in Salieris oratorios: Maddalena in La Passione di Ges Cristo (1776), and Eva and La Fede in Ges al Limbo (1803). Vocal range, tessitura, orchestration, duration, and technical demands of each role are considered. Vocal profiles and temperaments of the singers for whom Salieri wrote the parts, including Catarina Cavalieri (1755-1801) and the Empress Maria Theresa (1772-1807) are described. The musical analysis is contextualized with information about the circumstances of each composition and the theological and cultural beliefs about the figures portrayed in these oratorios.