engleski

Opera Duets by G. F. Handel and Giovanni Bononcini (1720–1724): Emulation and Rivalry

The vocal duets of G. F. Handel are distinguished by a greater musical and dramaturgical diversity when compared to the duets of his contemporaries, but this diversity has not yet been systematically examined in different contexts. They can be investigated in two genre traditions, that of the chamber duet and that of the so-called “dramatic duet”, a component of genres such as opera, cantata and serenata. By concentrating on secular vocal music in London in the first half of the eighteenth century it is possible to explore to which extent Handel’s treatment of duets differs from the contributions of his Italian contemporaries, who were either active in London at the time (e. g. Giovanni Bononcini) or whose works were performed parallel to his (Francesco Gasparini et al.). After a brief outline of some tendencies in the composing of chamber duets by Handel and Gasparini (as compared to their distinguished predecessor in the genre Agostino Steffani) and a description of the gradual establishment of Italian opera in London from 1706 onwards, this paper will focus on the first five seasons of the Royal Academy of Music (1720–1724). A parallel examination of duets by Handel and Bononcini written in this period will show complex relations of emulation and rivalry, a process in which librettists of the time also played a vital role, Paolo Antonio Rolli in particular.

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