Tra sé. Funzioni e tecniche del “cantare a parte” in Jommelli

Abstract

Singing "a parte" is a specific device of the theatrical and operatic communication. The first part of the article discusses the theorical and performative problems involved in the use of phrases said "tra sé" in musical numbers as reflected in eighteenth- end nineteenth-century treatises. The second part examines some examples taken from Jommelli's works, both serious and comic, in order to identify recurrent technics and features.