During my extended stay in Milan, I was occupied with the ongoing performances of my opera Lucio Silla. The production was a great success. Each evening brought full houses, elegant gowns, enthusiastic applause, and just enough chaos backstage to keep everyone alert. The undeniable star of the opera was Venanzio Rauzzini, a castrato nearly twice my age, whose high voice soared with such clarity and ease that it could make angels jealous. I admired his technical mastery as he navigated the fiendishly difficult passages I had written and made them appear easy with alarming confidence.
Night after night, I took my place in the orchestra pit, listening as Rauzzini glided through each aria[i], smooth and untroubled, like a gondola drifting along the Venetian canals. It was impressive. It was also provocative. But remaining seated quietly has never been my strong suit and I knew then that such a voice deserved a proper challenge.
I resolved to compose a motet[ii] for Signore Rauzzini, something exuberant and virtuosic, without verses, without poetry, and without any moral lessons whatsoever. Then an idea struck me: why not make the final movement consist solely of one word “Alleluia” [iii]? This was, admittedly, mischievous and perhaps a little ostentatious. I found that reassuring.
The result was magnificent. Rauzzini delivered it flawlessly, as expected, and the audience loved every piece of it. From this, I learned something important: music does not need to say much in order to be profound. Sometimes a single idea, pursued with imagination and spirit, can convey depths and emotion far beyond than a great many carefully chosen words.
[i] An aria focuses on melodic expression and emotional reflections. It is a self-contained piece for one voice, often accompanied by instrumental or orchestral music.
[ii] A motet is a piece of music in several parts and mainly with words.
[iii] Mozart wrote the religious solo motet “Exsultate, jubilate” with the last part, “Alleluja”, written for and performed by the castrato Venanzio Rauzzini. This motet is one of the few pieces that Mozart wrote before adulthood that has remained among his most popular works. These days it is generally sung by female sopranos.