Early English Opera and the Digital?: The utilisation of digital approaches in historically-informed performance

practice opera re-creations Ms Patricia Alessi

PhD Candidate (Music)

University of Western Australia

patricia.alessi@research.uwa.edu.au

Introduction

• As a professionally-trained opera singer and now early music singer, my experience with technology in relation to my field had been limited.

• It is only more recently that I have started to engage with digital resources. – Particularly, because of location: Perth, Australia.

– Began to feel peripheral pressure to ‘integrate new media and advanced technology into…[my]…daily work’ and, eventually, began to engage with ‘digital technology’ resources.

The Artistic Canon of Mary “Moll” Davis in Elizabeth Howe’s The first

English actresses: Women and Drama, 1660-1700

Year Work Dramatist/

Playwright

Role Portrayed Role Type

1662 The Law Against

Lovers

William Davenant Viola Young girl

1663 The Stepmother Robert Stapylton Violinda Young girl

1664 The Comical Revenge George Etherege Aurelia Young girl

1664 Henry the Fifth Roger Boyle Princess Anne Young girl

1665 Mustapha Roger Boyle Queen of Hungary Widow

1667 Feign’d Innocence John Dryden Millisent Young girl

The Tempest John Dryden &

William Davenant

Ariel Spirit

1668 She Would If She

Could

George Etherege Gatty Young girl

The (More) Complete Artistic Canon of Mary “Moll” Davis

Public Performances, 1662 – 1668: Year Work Dramatist/Playwright Role Portrayed Role Type

1662 The Law Against Lovers William Davenant Viola Young girl

1663 The Slighted Maid Robert Stapylton Boy Dancer En travesti

1663 The Stepmother Robert Stapylton Violinda Young girl

1664 Heraclius, Emperor of the

Orient

Pierre Corneille Unnamed role Unknown

1664 The Comical Revenge George Etherege Aurelia Young girl

1664 Henry the Fifth Roger Boyle Princess Anne Young girl

1665 Mustapha Roger Boyle Queen of Hungary Widow

1667 The English Princess, or The

Death of Richard III

John Caryl

Unnamed role En travesti

1667 Love Tricks, or The School of

Complement

Anonymous Unnamed role En travesti

1667 The Feign’d Innocence John Dryden Millisent Young girl

1667 The Tempest John Dryden & William

Davenant

Ariel Spirit

1667 The Rivals Sir William Davenant Celania Young girl

1668 She Would If She Could George Etherege Gatty Young girl

Private Court Performances*, 1668-1683(?):

*Which occurred at the English royal court.

Year Work Dramatist/Playw

right

Role Portrayed Role Type

1668 She Would if She

Could

Sir George

Etherege

Gatty Young girl

1675 Calisto, or The

Chaste Nymph

John Crowne Thames Supernatural en

travesti

1681-1683 (Exact

Date Unknown)

Venus and Adonis Anne Kingsmill Venus Supernatural

Goddess

Utilising the Restoration Theatre Song Archive for Davis’s Artistic Canon

Public Performances, 1662 – 1668:

Year Work Role Portrayed Solo Songs/Arias

1662 The Law Against Lovers Viola Solo Song: ‘Wake all the dead!’

1663 The Slighted Maid Boy Dancer N/A

1663 The Stepmother Violinda Philomel's Solo Song in 'Diana's Mask': 'How my rape was

brought about'

1664 Heraclius, Emperor of the Orient Unnamed role N/A

1664 The Comical Revenge Aurelia Solo Song: 'Time to my bleeding heart brings no relief'

1664 Henry the Fifth Princess Anne N/A

1665 Mustapha Queen of Hungary N/A

1667 The English Princess, or The Death of

Richard III

Unnamed role N/A

1667 Love Tricks, or The School of

Complement

Unnamed role N/A

1667 The Feign’d Innocence Millisent N/A

1667 The Tempest Ariel Solo Song: ‘Come unto these yellow sands’ (John Banister)

1667 The Rivals Celania Solo Song: 'Full fathoms five thy father lyes' (Robert Jonson)

1668 She Would If She Could Gatty Solo Song: ‘Dry those eyes which are o’erflowing’ (John

Banister)

Private Court Performances*, 1668-1683(?):

*Which occurred at the English royal court.

Year Work Role

Portrayed

Solo Songs/Arias

1668 She Would if She Could Gatty Solo Song: ‘To little or no

purpose I spent many days’

1675 Calisto, or The Chaste Nymph Thames Prologue: Augusta is inclin'd to

fears

1681-1683 (Exact

Date Unknown)

Venus and Adonis Venus Solo Song: 'Hark, hark, the rural

music sounds'

Final Song (with Chorus): “With

solemn pomp”

Restoration Theatre Song Archive (Un)Sustainability (?) Timeline, 2012-2014 • Archive goes offline in 2012

• November 2013, presented paper at the 2013 Joint Conference of the Musicological Society of Australia (MSA) and the New Zealand Musicological Society (NZMS) – Networking with Monash University colleague, archive’s sustainability issues are

mentioned.

• February 2014, emailed my colleague for an update on the sustainability of the archive

• March 2014, exchanged correspondence via Facebook chat messenger (not my preferred type of contact!): – Final email stated he had ‘gathered some intelligence on the Restoration Theatre Song

Archive’: • Staff at Monash are ‘aware of the archive…[as well as]…its value’. • The archive is ‘not…[currently]…being managed directly’; however, now assured it would

not be ‘dropped from the Arts Online site without…[encountering]…serious opposition’ from its unnamed ‘advocates’.

• One of the Art’s technical officers has ‘…wanted to upgrade the digital format of this archive’ for some time now ‘…but has not had the opportunity to do so’.

• Provided with his name, position and email address if I had any further concerns with the archive.

Conclusion

• Digital humanities can positively influence early music practitioners undertaking detailed and narrow performance-based research, offering new time-reducing tools, such as – the Restoration Theatre Song Archive.

• This free internet digital archive provided me with a time-efficient (albeit not always sustainable) way to discover Davis’s solo songs/arias.

• Such resources have a ‘transformative impact’ on musicological performance practice.

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Thank You • The University of Western Australia Scholarship for

International Research Fees (SIRF); University Postgraduate Award (UPAIS);

• The John Hind Opera Viva Scholarship (Singing);

• The Centre for the History of Emotions, Europe 1100-1800,

Top-Up PhD Scholarship • Supervisors: Assoc/Prof David Symons (UWA); W/Prof Bob

White (UWA/CHE Meanings Program Leader); Prof Jane Davidson (VCA/Melbourne Conservatorium, University of Melbourne); David G. Frey Distinguished Professor of Music Tim Carter (UNC-CH)

• Early Music Coach: Georg Corall