20 VIRTUS ‘Isn't this a gradual shift in the meaning of the word, since originally the virtuoso embodied virtues?’ asks Michel Dalberto. He goes on to explain: ‘Before the French Revolution, music permeated the lifestyles of the aristocracy, or at any rate the socially educated, and aroused the curiosity of enlightened amateurs. Enlightened to the extent that virtuosity served the need for good taste and refinement, both acquired by birth. Showmanship was merely a trivial display of pretentious manners. True virtuosity, on the other hand, consisted of intellectual brilliance, playing with complexity in every sense of the word.’ Historically, virtuosity - with the exception of the unique performances of the castrati - did not belong to the spirit of the baroque period. Indeed, the second edition of the Dictionnaire de l'Académie française, in 1718, belatedly confirmed the appearance of the word.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTAwOTQx