The Accompanist as Dramaturg: An Exploration of Dramatic Function in Secco Recitative Accompaniment

Abstract

Secco recitative accompaniment, though ubiquitous in eighteenth-century opera repertory and central to modern operatic practice, has attracted surprisingly little systematic scholarship. This dissertation reconceptualises secco recitative accompaniment as live dramaturgical action, contending that the keyboard accompanist is not a neutral technician but a co-author of the performance text. Drawing on eighteenth-century theory (Sulzer, Scheibe, Quantz), theatre semiotics (Elam, Fischer-Lichte, De Marinis), Beckerman’s model of dramatic action, and Robert Hatten’s theory of virtual agency, it advances a structural–ontological framework that situates musical gesture, harmonic force, and rhetorical text-setting within a single field of performative praxis. As part of this framework, the study articulates the structural and expressive relationship between the embodied vocal line and its instrumental accompaniment, defining the interdependence through which recitative’s dramaturgical force emerges. Methodologically the thesis proceeds in two parts. Chapters 2–5 synthesise historical treatises with contemporary dramaturgical theory, uncovering recurring principles of unity, variety, and gestural markedness that underpin effective recitative. Chapter 6 and Appendix 1 demonstrate these principles in practice through a beat-by-beat analysis of selected scenes from the Mozart–Da Ponte operas, applying a three-stage workflow that integrates dramatic segmentation, poetic–rhetorical scansion, and harmonic mapping, with analysis of applied gestural structure. The resulting framework furnishes a structured and adaptable tool for today’s continuo performers, enabling them to translate theoretical insights into coherent preparatory rehearsal procedures. It also establishes a conceptual foundation for understanding recitative accompaniment as a theatrical and performative entity, defining structural and expressive parameters that support future analytical and practice-led research. By bridging the long-standing gap between historical commentary and contemporary production, the dissertation empowers accompanists, singers, directors, and conductors to heighten narrative clarity and expressive depth in performance. Beyond its immediate practical value, the study opens new avenues for research into the dramaturgical agency of accompaniment in opera and related genres.