In Early Modern times techniques of assembling compiling and arranging pre-existing material
were part of the established working methods in many arts. In the world of 18th-century opera
such practices ensured that operas could become a commercial success because the substitution
or compilation of arias fitting the singer's abilities proved the best recipe for fulfilling
the expectations of audiences. Known as »pasticcios« since the 18th-century these operas have
long been considered inferior patchwork. The volume collects essays that reconsider the
pasticcio contextualize it define its preconditions look at its material aspects and uncover
its aesthetical principles.
