Collaboration, arrangement, ‘dressing’: The different recipes for the pasticcio alla napoletana in the first half of the 18th century

The practice of 'pasticcio' was common to many European theatres in the 18th century; only recently, however, has the phenomenon begun to be investigated without prejudice. The essay highlights some characteristics and some specific cases related to the Neapolitan milieu: the practice of 'pasticcio' in both texts and music to add comic elements; the role of impresarios and especially singers; the not necessarily aesthetically minor status of pasticcio operas; the various degrees and modes of adaptations and collaborations.