Il ministro scaltro, il vecchio caprone e il re piccirillo. Ancora sui primi prologhi al San Carlo di Napoli (1761-1765)

Abstract

Between 1761 and 1781, at the San Carlo Theatre in Naples it was customary to celebrate the birthdays of the main members of the royal family by means of an allusive prologue preceding the serious opera. The essay reconstructs the first phase of this tradition on the basis of new archival sources, highlighting the role played by Bernardo Tanucci and his political use of these short cantatas. Some arias written by various composers for the famous castrato singer Gaetano Majorano "Caffarelli" are analyzed in order to show his technique and style at the end of his succesful career.