ABSTRACT

This chapter argues that Gretry's early operas comiques were appreciated as nourishing musical experiences because of the ways in which they appealed to the subjectivity of the listener, an appeal that was founded in Gretry's own doctrines of compositional restraint, clarity of expression, and primacy of melody. It explores how this effect played into the discursive culture that surrounded operatic performances, the extensive and vital penumbra of written commentary and robust oral exchange of opinion that, by forming connections with wider currents of thought, made the opera house and theatre such a promising area of enquiry for cultural historians. There are two principal aspects to this: first, the changing language in which judgements on the musical theatre were formulated; and secondly, the more social, structural issues around who should have the right to dominate discussion on music.