Abstract
Even before opera became a tradition in itself, Monteverdi changed the finale of his L’Orfeo in the aftermath of the premiere. Ever since, opera composers reworked their scores according to the feedback of the audiences and critics at the premiere, or to the taste of the public in different opera theatres all over Europe (Paris, Vienna, Venice). But what happens when the composer himself is no longer available to operate his own cuts, additions or adaptations on the score? Conductors, directors and even performers (amongst all, prima donnas) took over the task. Taste evolves over the centuries, and still great masterpieces are required by the audiences, since Opera is a world phenomenon. The present research attempts to classify and discuss different types of alterations of opera scores, focusing on different types of cuts – an unthinkable act of sacrilège in any other musical genre – highlighting the motivation behind each such act: the high difficulty of the score, adapting the score to targeted audiences, accommodating the score to the staging concept (“in house” or “on tour”), reducing the total duration of the performance, or musical redundancies, avoiding monotony and stagnant moments in the plot, or even the redundancy of the musical content. Some cuts and alterations of the score are boldly inappropriate. Some others became sacred tradition!

Keywords: opera, performance tradition, salto, score alteration.

About the author
Tatiana Oltean is an associate professor at the „Gheorghe Dima” National Academy of Music in Cluj-Napoca (Romania), teaching Music History in the Department of Musicology. Her doctoral studies, under the tutorship of acad. prof. Cornel Țăranu, focused on musical stylistics regarding various analytical perspectives in Manole, The Craftsman, an opera-oratorio by the Transylvanian composer Sigismund Toduță. The publication of her doctoral work (Eikon Publishing House, 2012) was awarded the Prize for Debut of the Romanian Writers Union. Her musicological output consists in two musicology volumes, scientific articles, essays, reviews and interviews etc. Additionally, she blends musicological research and pedagogical activities with singing, as a member or collaborator in prestigious ensembles (The Romanian National Opera Choir in Cluj-Napoca, Cappella Transylvanica etc.). She often participates in national and international symposia and conferences on topics that include analytical aspects in Romanian composers works, performing arts (opera, ballet) and the music-mythology binomial. During the last decade, she has also been involved in editorial activities (on the editorial board of Musicology Papers journal, co-editing of the musicology volumes of the Opera Aperta Symposiums, 2021-2023), as well as moderating several podcasts on music (Pe ton lejer), public meetings and interviews (Meet the Musicians, 2024).

DOI: 10.47809/MP.2023.38.02.04

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