Music for the Mad - Institutionen för musikvetenskap - Uppsala ...

eason. In the preface for his opera Albion and Albanius (1685) Dryden explains his choice of
protagonist, plot and form (i.e. all-sung opera):
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The suppos’d persons of this musical drama, are generally supernatural, as
god and goddesses, and heroes, which are at least descended from them, and
are in due time, to be accepted into their number. The subject therefore being
extended beyond the limits of human nature, admits of that sort of marvellous
and surprizing conduct, which is rejected in other plays. 61
Singing is to be understood as part of the “marvelous and surprizing conduct described,” and
is motivated by the supernaturalism of the plot and its characters. A different credibility pre-
vailed for gods and goddesses, who were literary not normal people and could so be allowed
to sing when earthly characters could not. There was, as we shall see, another category of cha-
racters that were as little expected to act normally as supernatural characters, and who could
therefore be given songs at unexpected times, i.e. on occasions at which singing would be not
motivated by the plot, not even as entertainments framed in by loosely connected dialogue.
There were mad people. Purcell’s mad songs for Durfey’s comedies occur almost exclusively
at such unexpected places, and without dialogue to frame them in. In the case where it does
occur framed in and motivated by dialogue, notably “From rosy bowers” in part III of Don
Quixote, it is a clear indication of the inauthenticity of the madness, as will be discussed be-
low.
Thomas Durfey, who was deeply interested in musical drama and would in the early
eighteenth century unsuccessfully venture into opera, gave music a significant place in his
comedies. As John McVeagh stated, music was important for Durfey, though he was not yet
in the late seventeenth century willing to let it take over from literature. 62 Songs in general in
Durfey’s comedies serve the same amusing and extra-dramatic characterization as Price de-
scribed. One such example is Berenice’s “How vile are the sordid intrigues” from the second
act of The Marriage-Hater Match’d (1692). Appearing as a sudden whim, like so many others
of Berenice’s actions, in a scene where Lord Brainless’ attempt to treat one of the ladies with
an Italian song has been interrupted by her howling lapdog, it gives some additional under-
standing of the “freakish” (i.e. in the words of Curtis Price “devilish and light hearted to the
point of madness”) nature of Berenice:
Darewell: […] shall I beg a word or to, Madam.
61 John Dryden preface to Albion and Albanius (London 1685) p. 1.
62 McVeagh, Durfey, p. 113.