Mad scenes in early 19th-century opera

Objective: It is our objective to examine the phenomenon of mad scents in b el canto opera from a modern perspective. Method: The development of psychiatry and music at the beginning of the 19t h century is described. Common elements of romantic music and mental disord ers are discussed. It is shown how bel canto composers represent psychiatri c illness by musical means. The psychopathology depicted in a prototypical mad scene is evaluated. Results: Early romantic music is characterized by imagination, illusion and loss of structure; characteristics which can be well expressed in mad scen es. While madness (Withdrawal into a utopian world) gained a certain attrac tion in society, clinical psychiatry increasingly focused on emotional caus es of illness and on drug-induction of mental disorders. Conclusion: Mad scenes in bel canto opera can be understood as expression o f an increasing interest in emotional aspects in music and society as well as in clinical psychiatry.