Bel Canto
The Italian vocal technique of the 18th
century,
with its emphasis on beauty of sound and
brilliance
of performance rather than dramatic expression or romantic
emotion.
In spite of repeated reactions against "bel canto" (or its
abuses, such as display for its own sake) and the frequent
exaggeration
of its virtuoso element (coloratura),
it must
be considered a highly artistic technique and the only proper one
for Italian
opera
and Mozart. Its early
development
is closely bound up with that of the Italian opera
seria (A. Scarlatti).
More
recently the term "bel canto" has been associated with a
mid-17th-century
development represented by L. Rossi (1597-1653) and G.
Carissimi (1605-74), who cultivated a simple, melodious vocal
style
of song-like quality, without virtuoso coloraturas.
(See the
online article from Opera Sense)
(Hear the Podcasts from the Metropolitan Opera.)
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