Casta Diva?????
Thomas Bass
singers, without roles) what does the phrase ``Casta Diva'' mean? Or
does it mean anything? Is there maybe just someone with this name--I've
seen it in too many listings for it to be that.
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Thomas Bass | "Mathematicians are like Frenchmen:
tpb...@athena.cas.vanderbilt.edu | whenever you say something to them,
bas...@ctrvax.vanderbilt.edu | they translate it into their own
Department of Mathematics | language, and at once it is something
Vanderbilt University | entirely different." --Goethe
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Roger Lustig
>In the listing of an opera cast (not a program--just a listing of the
>singers, without roles) what does the phrase ``Casta Diva'' mean? Or
>does it mean anything? Is there maybe just someone with this name--I've
>seen it in too many listings for it to be that.
This is the name of a famous aria, perhaps THE aria that, taken alone,
defines the bel canto style of composing and singing. It is very long
and difficult, and has amazing vocal melody.
It is from Vicenzo Bellini's _Norma_, and is the title role's invocation
of a pagan goddess. It literally means "Chaste goddess."
Now, we often call opera singers "goddesses," or "divas." It's another
word for "star (fem.)." I suspect this is a code term for somebody who
didn't want to be listed, or had an exclusive recording contract
elsewhere.
Listen to Callas singing it, and a few other singers.
Roger
(On the other hand, we know who "El angelo misterioso" is...)
Roger
Jon Conrad
>In the listing of an opera cast (not a program--just a listing of the
>singers, without roles) what does the phrase ``Casta Diva'' mean? Or
>does it mean anything? Is there maybe just someone with this name--I've
>seen it in too many listings for it to be that.
This sounds strange. (I'll explain why in a sec.) Can you give more
details about where you saw it, maybe a complete transcription of the
listing?
"Casta diva," to a musician or opera-lover, means one thing only: the
main soprano aria from Vincenzo Bellini's opera NORMA. It is one of the
classic test-points for soprano, as it needs perfect vocalism, a rich
and large and beautiful voice, imagination and skill at "sculpting" long
curving phrases, and technical control of both slow and fast melodic
motion. Of the many sopranos who have recorded the aria in our century,
few have done it really well; Rosa Ponselle's version from the 1920s is
usually considered the best. It is a prayer to the Druid goddess of the
moon, and the title literally means "Chaste goddess."
The use of the term in a listing such as you describe (often, you say?)
makes no sense to me. I hypothesize two possibilities: (1) This was a
listing for a production of NORMA, and the publicists included the title
of its "hit tune," the same way a poster publicizing A LITTLE NIGHT
MUSIC might mention "Send In the Clowns," to maximize public interest.
(2) A local musical group, an opera company or an orchestra or chorus,
has adopted this name for itself, in the manner of many musical groups
that market themselves with distinctive names; in that case, the listing
would mean "this group will participate in the performances."
This has me very curious. Please explain further!
Jon Alan Conrad
Michael A. Dritschel
written for the double-bassist Bertram Turetsky, available on an old
Nonesuch recording I believe.
Michael Dritschel m...@math.purdue.edu