Vincenzo dal Prato
Encyclopedia
Vincenzo dal Prato was an Italian castrato
singer, famous for his work with Mozart
.
, Italy. Here he studied under Lorenzo Gibelli and made his debut at sixteen years of age in 1777 at Fano
. In 1779 he was invited to sing for the Russian Crown Prince
(who became Tsar Paul I
) in Stuttgart
. During his time in Germany he was discovered by one of Paul's "talent scouts" and immediately engaged to work in Munich
. Dal Prato was a full-time professional singer during the years 1780-1805.
He was very popular, handsome, and considered to be good-natured with everyone; his singing style was renowned for its high quality but his acting was thought to be of an average standard. His favourite role was that of the serious lover in comic opera
s, which he supposedly enjoyed immensely because it allowed him to flaunt his lyrical talents without requiring any great acting skills.
at Munich, although after his first collaboration Mozart was not impressed by dal Prato.
From the letters which Mozart wrote to his father
up to 1780, it appears that all his dealings with castrati had been difficult. Mozart stated Manzuoli
was brilliant but stubborn, Rauzzini
was immature and unpredictable, Tenducci
was a renowned libertine, but he had a naturally charming voice and seemed a natural for the role. Mozart had been commissioned
to write Idomeneo for Carnival 1781 and the role of Idamante was to be given to a castrato. Mozart had a very poor opinion of Dal Prato, and he was to be primo uomo
in name only. He did not consider him worthy of such an important role.
After Idomeneo, Dal Prato would remained in Munich for 25 years and established himself as a famous primo uomo, despite Mozart's criticism. Mozart would repeatedly refer to Dal Prato very sarcastically in his letters to his father as il nostro molto amato castrato Dal Prato (our much-loved castrato Dal Prato) and in late 1780 describes him as "shoddy." In another letter he insists that Dal Prato ha cantato in modo vergognoso (sang in a shameful way), and even considered calling the castrato Ceccarelli
, whom Mozart despised, from Salzburg
to take over as Idamante. Mozart did not think Dal Prato would be able to finish rehearsals, let alone perform. He describes Dal Prato as "rotten through and through," and says that he has "no notion how to sing a cadenza effectively," adding that "I have to teach him everything, as though he had started yesterday." The singing of the recitatives was ruined by the tenor
Anton Raaff
(in the title role) and by Dal Prato, and he said they were the worst actors he had ever come across.
Mozart wrote the quartet
Andrò ramingo e solo to start with Idamante, but the style was completely new and nothing like it had ever been seen in opera seria. None of the singers were up to the task and they all reacted against it. Mozart wrote to his father in the depths of despair, blaming the worst reaction on Dal Prato. He said Dal Prato's voice would not be so bad if it came out from somewhere other than his mouth. He was completely unable to intone the quartet, Mozart said, had no method, and "sang like a young boy auditioning for a part in the chapel choir". Mozart must have been fond of this quartet because he arranged for a private recital
two and a half years later, with himself singing the role of Idamante (in a transcription for tenor). He burst into tears and had to run out of the room, and not even his wife Constanze
could talk him into coming back.
Dal Prato sang the part and was awarded a pension by the Elector, which he received until his death at Munich in 1828.
Castrato
A castrato is a man with a singing voice equivalent to that of a soprano, mezzo-soprano, or contralto voice produced either by castration of the singer before puberty or one who, because of an endocrinological condition, never reaches sexual maturity.Castration before puberty prevents a boy's...
singer, famous for his work with Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , baptismal name Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart , was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music...
.
Early life
Dal Prato was born in ImolaImola
thumb|250px|The Cathedral of Imola.Imola is a town and comune in the province of Bologna, located on the Santerno river, in the Emilia-Romagna region of north-central Italy...
, Italy. Here he studied under Lorenzo Gibelli and made his debut at sixteen years of age in 1777 at Fano
Fano
Fano is a town and comune of the province of Pesaro and Urbino in the Marche region of Italy. It is a beach resort 12 km southeast of Pesaro, located where the Via Flaminia reaches the Adriatic Sea...
. In 1779 he was invited to sing for the Russian Crown Prince
Crown Prince
A crown prince or crown princess is the heir or heiress apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The wife of a crown prince is also titled crown princess....
(who became Tsar Paul I
Paul I of Russia
Paul I was the Emperor of Russia between 1796 and 1801. He also was the 72nd Prince and Grand Master of the Order of Malta .-Childhood:...
) in Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
. During his time in Germany he was discovered by one of Paul's "talent scouts" and immediately engaged to work in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
. Dal Prato was a full-time professional singer during the years 1780-1805.
He was very popular, handsome, and considered to be good-natured with everyone; his singing style was renowned for its high quality but his acting was thought to be of an average standard. His favourite role was that of the serious lover in comic opera
Comic opera
Comic opera denotes a sung dramatic work of a light or comic nature, usually with a happy ending.Forms of comic opera first developed in late 17th-century Italy. By the 1730s, a new operatic genre, opera buffa, emerged as an alternative to opera seria...
s, which he supposedly enjoyed immensely because it allowed him to flaunt his lyrical talents without requiring any great acting skills.
Criticism
In 1781 he was called upon to perform the role of Idamante in Mozart's Idomeneo re di CretaIdomeneo
Idomeneo, re di Creta ossia Ilia e Idamante is an Italian language opera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The libretto was adapted by Giambattista Varesco from a French text by Antoine Danchet, which had been set to music by André Campra as Idoménée in 1712...
at Munich, although after his first collaboration Mozart was not impressed by dal Prato.
From the letters which Mozart wrote to his father
Leopold Mozart
Johann Georg Leopold Mozart was a German composer, conductor, teacher, and violinist. Mozart is best known today as the father and teacher of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and for his violin textbook Versuch einer gründlichen Violinschule.-Childhood and student years:He was born in Augsburg, son of...
up to 1780, it appears that all his dealings with castrati had been difficult. Mozart stated Manzuoli
Giovanni Manzuoli
Giovanni Manzuoli was an Italian castrato who sang as a soprano at the beginning of his career, and later as a contralto.-History:...
was brilliant but stubborn, Rauzzini
Venanzio Rauzzini
Venanzio Rauzzini was an Italian castrato, composer, pianist and singing teacher. As a boy he was a member of the Sistine Chapel Choir and was a pupil of Domenico Corri and Muzio Clementi. He also studied with Giuseppe Santarelli in Rome and Nicola Porpora in Naples.Rauzzini was born at Camerino...
was immature and unpredictable, Tenducci
Giusto Fernando Tenducci
Giusto Fernando Tenducci was a soprano opera singer and composer, who passed his career partly in Italy but chiefly in Britain.-Biography:...
was a renowned libertine, but he had a naturally charming voice and seemed a natural for the role. Mozart had been commissioned
Commission (art)
In art, a commission is the hiring and payment for the creation of a piece, often on behalf of another.In classical music, ensembles often commission pieces from composers, where the ensemble secures the composer's payment from private or public organizations or donors.- Commissions for public art...
to write Idomeneo for Carnival 1781 and the role of Idamante was to be given to a castrato. Mozart had a very poor opinion of Dal Prato, and he was to be primo uomo
Prima donna
Originally used in opera or Commedia dell'arte companies, "prima donna" is Italian for "first lady." The term was used to designate the leading female singer in the opera company, the person to whom the prime roles would be given. The prima donna was normally, but not necessarily, a soprano...
in name only. He did not consider him worthy of such an important role.
After Idomeneo, Dal Prato would remained in Munich for 25 years and established himself as a famous primo uomo, despite Mozart's criticism. Mozart would repeatedly refer to Dal Prato very sarcastically in his letters to his father as il nostro molto amato castrato Dal Prato (our much-loved castrato Dal Prato) and in late 1780 describes him as "shoddy." In another letter he insists that Dal Prato ha cantato in modo vergognoso (sang in a shameful way), and even considered calling the castrato Ceccarelli
Francesco Ceccarelli
Francesco Ceccarelli was a soprano castrato known for his grace and excellent singing technique.After early opera appearances in his native Umbria, he sang mainly in the German-speaking countries and was thought better suited to church and concert music.He was notably engaged by Count Hieronymus...
, whom Mozart despised, from Salzburg
Salzburg
-Population development:In 1935, the population significantly increased when Salzburg absorbed adjacent municipalities. After World War II, numerous refugees found a new home in the city. New residential space was created for American soldiers of the postwar Occupation, and could be used for...
to take over as Idamante. Mozart did not think Dal Prato would be able to finish rehearsals, let alone perform. He describes Dal Prato as "rotten through and through," and says that he has "no notion how to sing a cadenza effectively," adding that "I have to teach him everything, as though he had started yesterday." The singing of the recitatives was ruined by the tenor
Tenor
The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
Anton Raaff
Anton Raaff
Anton Raaff was a German tenor from Gelsdorf near Bonn.-Career:He studied at the Jesuit school in Bonn where the Elector of Bavaria, Clement Augustus, heard him singing and paid for him to train professionally. Raaff was brought to the capital, Munich, where he was engaged on an annual salary of...
(in the title role) and by Dal Prato, and he said they were the worst actors he had ever come across.
Mozart wrote the quartet
Quartet
In music, a quartet is a method of instrumentation , used to perform a musical composition, and consisting of four parts.-Western art music:...
Andrò ramingo e solo to start with Idamante, but the style was completely new and nothing like it had ever been seen in opera seria. None of the singers were up to the task and they all reacted against it. Mozart wrote to his father in the depths of despair, blaming the worst reaction on Dal Prato. He said Dal Prato's voice would not be so bad if it came out from somewhere other than his mouth. He was completely unable to intone the quartet, Mozart said, had no method, and "sang like a young boy auditioning for a part in the chapel choir". Mozart must have been fond of this quartet because he arranged for a private recital
Recital
A recital is a musical performance. It can highlight a single performer, sometimes accompanied by piano, or a performance of the works of a single composer.The invention of the solo piano recital has been attributed to Franz Liszt....
two and a half years later, with himself singing the role of Idamante (in a transcription for tenor). He burst into tears and had to run out of the room, and not even his wife Constanze
Constanze Mozart
Constanze Mozart was the wife of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.-Early years:Constanze Weber was born in Zell im Wiesental. Her mother was Cäcilia Weber, née Stamm. Her father Fridolin Weber worked as a "double bass player, prompter and music copyist." Fridolin's half-brother was the father of composer...
could talk him into coming back.
Dal Prato sang the part and was awarded a pension by the Elector, which he received until his death at Munich in 1828.