Download or read book Operatic Pasticcios in 18th-Century Europe written by Berthold Over and published by transcript Verlag. This book was released on 2021-04-30 with total page 799 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Early Modern times, techniques of assembling, compiling and arranging pre-existing material were part of the established working methods in many arts. In the world of 18th-century opera, such practices ensured that operas could become a commercial success because the substitution or compilation of arias fitting the singer's abilities proved the best recipe for fulfilling the expectations of audiences. Known as »pasticcios« since the 18th-century, these operas have long been considered inferior patchwork. The volume collects essays that reconsider the pasticcio, contextualize it, define its preconditions, look at its material aspects and uncover its aesthetical principles.