Anfione e Nivildo. Nota sui rapporti di Niccolò Jommelli con l'arcade Gioacchino Pizzi

The Roman poet Gioacchino Pizzi (1716-1790) was a leading figure of the Accademia dell’Arcadia in the second half of the Eighteenth Century. His relationship with the composer Niccolò Jommelli (1714-1774) is investigated for the first time. Their collaboration started in 1751 in the occasion of the creation of a “componimento drammatico” for the birthday of King Joseph I of Portugal. They worked together again in 1757, when they wrote “Il Creso”, a three-acts opera performed at the Teatro di Torre Argentina. The friendship between the man of letters and the musician is clearly described in Pizzi’s undated ode “Per la venuta in Roma del celebre maestro di cappella il signor Niccolò Jommelly”…

«La speranza de’ regni». Celebrazione e spettacolo in tre 'feste' napoletane: Paisiello (1768), Jommelli (1772), Cafaro (1775)

The genre of 'festa teatrale' had a large diffusion and a great social and political importance in the Neapolitan culture of the Eighteenth Century. The article examines three main examples, created in connection with crucial dynastic events: the marriage of the young king Ferdinand IV with Maria Carolina of Absburg in 1768, the birth of their first daughter in 1772, and the birth of their first son (and hereditary prince) in 1775. The librettos and the scores are analyzed in detail, with a specific focus on allegorical and celebratory features.

Sulle tracce di Oranzebe. «L’opera seria» di Calzabigi e Gassmann (Vienna, 1769)

“L’opera seria” by Ranieri Calzabigi and Florian Leopold Gassmann, performed for the first time in Vienna in 1769, is one of the most fascinating and complex meta-operas of the eighteenth century. As many similar works, it satirizes the eccentric figures involved in any theatrical production (poet, composer, impresario, singers, dancers and so on). The dramaturgical construction meticolously planned by Calzabigi includes two different layers: the comic action actually staged, and the serious opera “L’Oranzebe”, which is imagined to be reharsed and later performed by the characters of the comedy. The continuous exchange between these two dimensions is the main object of the article. By colle…

Sulla fortuna di «Misero pargoletto»: materiali e ipotesi

The aria "Misero pargoletto", sung by Timante in the third act of Pietro Metastasio's "Demofoonte", enjoyed exceptional fortune throughout the eighteenth century. The text was set tu music dozens of times not only as part of the opera it belongs to, but also as an independent piece. This essay discusses the judgements expressed on "Misero pargoletto" by several men of letters and theorists, examines some buffo parodies of the aria that demonstrate its wide notoriety, and formulates some hypotheses about the reasons for such a great success, which can be partially justified by the new conception of fatherood that emerged in the so-called Age of Sensibility.

«Nozze» napoletane. «La serva onorata» di Giambattista Lorenzi e Nicolò Piccinni (1792)

Nel 1792 il teatro napoletano dei Fiorentini ospitò la prima rappresentazione di una nuova opera comica di Giambattista Lorenzi e Niccolò Piccinni: «La serva onorata». Il libretto era in realtà una libera rielaborazione delle «Nozze di Figaro» di Da Ponte per Mozart. Il saggio avanza alcune ipotesi circa l'arrivo del testo nella capitale meridionale e procede poi a un dettagliato esame delle manipolazioni subite dal modello viennese, che risulta omologato alle convenzioni estetiche e produttive locali. Particolare attenzione viene riservata al ruolo degli interpreti napoletani, che con le proprie caratteristiche condizionano vistosamente il processo di adattamento. In chiusura vengono propo…

Da «Nina» a «Belisa»: contagi veneziani (1788-1794)

Giovanni Paisiello's "Nina o sia La pazza per amore" was one of the greates operatic successes of the late Eighteenth Century. The article studies its circulation in the Venetian area, as well as the reactions it produced as documented in theorical writings and newspapers. Moreover, the model of mixed dramaturgy exemplified by "Nina", characterized by the alternation of spoken dialogues and musical numbers, influenced some Italian authors. "Belisa ossia La fedeltà riconosciuta" by Alessandro Pepoli and the German composer Peter von Winter is one of the most interesting results of this experimentation, and can be considered as a sort of new "Nina" for the Venetian stage.

La stagione operistica 1781-1782 al Teatro dei Fiorentini di Napoli: meccanismi gestionali e occasioni creative

The finding of a rich series of documents in the Archivio Storico of the Istituto Banco di Napoli – Fondazione (Naples) allows to offer a detailed reconstruction of the 1781-1782 season at the Neapolitan Teatro dei Fiorentini, devoted to "commedia per musica". The payments, transcribed in the appendix, show the specific financial structure of the theatre, as well as the distribution of roles and responsibilities among the different figures involved in the operatic business. Archival evidence and information taken from other sources (such as newspapers and letters of contemporary observers) make possible to highlight the Neapolitan debut of the famous Tuscan soprano Celeste Coltellini, desti…

Dall’ascesa al trono di Ferdinando IV alla prima Restaurazione borbonica

Tears for Nina. Emotion and compassion, from the stage to the audience

A recurrent feature of the reception of Giovanni Paisiello’s "Nina o sia La pazza per amore" (first version, in one act, 1789; second version, in two acts, 1790) is the deep empathic involvement of the audience. The masterpiece of the Italian composer appears to have had the power to move male and (mainly) female listeners and to produce strong effects like tears, outbursts, etc. The article offers a preliminary discussion of the French origins of the libretto (a translation of Marsollier des Vivetières’ "Nina ou la Folle par amour", set to music by Nicolas-Marie Dalayrac in 1786), as well as a reconstruction of the genesis of the work as an occasional piece for a specific event within Neap…

Calzabigi e Metastasio: Napoli, Parigi, Vienna e ritorno

The relationship between Ranieri Calzabigi and Pietro Metastasio has been examined several times by historians of music and literature. According to some scholars, Calzabigi’s judgment on his older colleague remained consistent over time, while others have highlighted the profound difference between the ideas expressed in the "Dissertazione [...] su le poesie drammatiche del signor abate Pietro Metastasio" (1755) and those contained in the "Risposta di Santigliano" (1790). This essay retraces the stages of the complex bond between the two authors and, with the help of new observations as well as sources hitherto neglected, demonstrates that Calzabigi was influenced by Metastasio's verses in…

Mozart e Paisiello: a proposito dell’aria «Mentre ti lascio, o figlia» K. 513

The text of Mozart's scena e aria K. 513 comes from Giovanni Paisiello's "La disfatta di Dario" performed for the first time in Rome in 1776. The article reconstructs the whole tradition of the libretto, written by Carlo Diodati Morbili in Naples in 1756 and set to music by various authors till the end of the century. There is a large body of evidence that Paisiello's "Mentre ti lascio, o cara" reached large popularity thanks to the most famous tenors of the time. The dramaturgical context of the aria is examined in detail, and four different versions are compared (Paisiello, Traetta, Mozart, and Frigel). Mozart's setting is demonstrated to be directly inspired by Paisiello's model.

Un sonetto vichiano dimenticato

The article presents an unknown sonnet by Giambattista Vico, contained in an occasional miscellany published in Rome in 1722.

Napoli, 3 maggio 1777: la cantata per san Gennaro nel seggio di Portanova attraverso le lettere di Antonio di Gennaro ad Aurelio Bertola

The cult of San Gennaro is a typical feature of the Neapolitan cultural tradition. In the 18th century, there were three dates on which the martyr was celebrated: the first Saturday of May, 19 September and 16 December. The May feast was held in turn in one of the six "seggi" of the city. In 1771, it was hosted by the "seggio" of Portanova, which commissioned - as usual - a cantata, set to music by Fedele Fenaroli. The libretto of this composition can be studied in detail thanks to the unpublished letters sent by Antonio di Gennaro Duke of Belforte to the poet, the Rimini-born Aurelio Bertola. The explanations and advice given by the former to the latter clarify certain peculiar aspects of …

Musical Competition Culture in 19th Century Italy. The Concorso Basevi (Florence) and the Circolo Bonamici (Naples)

Musical competitions played an important function in Italian musical culture of the 19th century. Florence and Naples offer two interesting examples in this field. In the Tuscan city, Abramo Basevi (1818-1885) established an annual composition competition specially dedicated to chamber music, which reached great popularity throughout Europe; the “Concorso Basevi” took place six times starting from 1861. In Naples Ferdinando Bonamici (1827-1905) showed more varied interests and organized not only composition but also performance competitions between 1863 and 1865. Both experiences, based on individual or small group initiatives, were undoubtedly fragile, but they contributed significantly to…

Parenti, Francesco Paolo Maurizio

Biographical entry for the "Dizionario biografico degli italiani". Francesco Paolo Parenti (1764-1821) studied music in Naples; at the age of 26, he moved to Paris where he spent the most part of his life and career. Ho wrote some opéra-comiques for the Parisian stage ("Les portraits", 1790; "L’homme et le malheur", 1793; "Le cri de la patrie", 1793). He also played in the orchestra of the Théâtre de la Société Olympique conducted by Antonio Bartolomeo Bruni at the beginning of the XIX century. Later he was active as a singing teacher (his "Philomelodia ou L’art de chanter" is partially preserved).

Giuseppe Sigismondo, Apoteosi della musica del Regno di Napoli, a cura di C. Bacciagaluppi, G. Giovani e R. Mellace, con un saggio introduttivo di R. Cafiero (Roma, Società Editrice di Musicologia, 2016)

Review of the first edition of Sigismondo's "Apoteosi", a detailed and very interesting history of the music in Naples from the Sixteenth to the early Nineteenth Century. The work is a mailstone in the process of construction and diffusion of the myth of the "Neapolitan School" in composition.

«Ma qual necessità ci è di cantar questi mottettacci infelici?». Giuseppe Giordani e il mottetto tardo-settecentesco tra prassi e censure

I mottetti costituiscono un comparto apparentemente dimesso e di fatto minore nel nutrito catalogo delle composizioni sacre di Giuseppe Giordani. E tuttavia la produzione del maestro partenopeo, proprio in quanto esempio medio e dignitosamente routinario, offre l’opportunità di condurre una prima ricognizione nella scrittura mottettistica della seconda metà del Settecento e di prendere dimestichezza con un repertorio finora trascurato e per molti aspetti misconosciuto

«Mostruoso a vedere un Pergolesi coi baffi». Il mito in scena nel 1857 tra Milano (Solera - Ronchetti Monteviti) e Napoli (Quercia - Serrao)

During the Nineteenth Century, the fame reached by Giovanni Battista Pergolesi was so large that the historical figure of the composer born in Jesi was transformed in a “dramatis persona”. Pergolesi appears as a character in two different operas dated to 1857. The first one is “Pergolese” by Temistocle Solera and Stefano Ronchetti Monteviti, performed in Milan at the Teatro alla Scala; the second one is “Pergolesi”, a “melodramma semiserio” by Fedrico Quercia set to music by Paolo Serrao and staged at the Teatro del Fondo in Naples. The two works mix historical elements with details drawn from pure fantasy. Their main purpose is to exalt the figure of the unfortunate and tormented artist, t…

Suggestioni archeologiche, sperimentazione drammaturgica e propaganda politica nel «Natal di Telefo» di Saverio Mattei e Giacomo Insanguine (1770)

Saverio Mattei (1742-1795) was a very eclectic figure in the context of the Neapolitan culture in the second half of the eighteenth century. The article illustrates and discusses the librettos he wrote to solemnize the birthdays of the King of Spain Charles III, the King of Naples Ferdinand IV and his wife Maria Carolina of Austria. The special dramatic works requested in these occasions, called “prologhi”, were performed in the San Carlo theatre before the opera, and consisted of short actions for three characters alluding to the festive circumstances. Mattei was conscious of the risk of boredom inherent in the celebratory genre, so he tried to make more interesting his pièces by adopting …

La ricezione italiana del melologo «à la» Rousseau e la «Pandora» di Alessandro Pepoli

During the last decades of the Eighteenth Century, various Italian theatrical centres were reached by the fascination of Rousseau's "Pygmalion". Some authors considered with great interest the new proposal and tried to create original works based on the same combination of spoken text, gestures and musical comment. The article lists many "scene liriche" imitating "Pygmalion" and focuses in particular on Alessandro Pepoli's "Pandora". This venetian product, thanks to the availability of the complete score, allows a discussion on the features and problems that characterize the Italian reception of the French model.

Femminile e maschile nel Settecento

In the 18th century, the relationship between the male and the female became particularly relevant and turned into an excellent test bench within the construction process of the individual’s identity. Many are the images connected to the genre. Likewise, the self-representation processes through which the subjects read, describe and project themselves in their own existential context are complex and articulated. Twenty-three essays on different disciplines (history, literature, philosophy, figurative arts, science, music and theatre) explore the eighteenth-century dialectics between the two principles, using updated and specific methodological approaches. From the whole of the investigation…

Alterità ed esotismo nella commedia per musica napoletana del Settecento: la «Dardanè» di Cerlone e Paisiello e le sue fonti

Francesco Cerlone and Giovanni Paisiello's comic opera "Dardanè" was performed for the first time in Naples in 1772. Its plot revolves around a peculiar theme from Middle Eastern religious and cultural tradition: the 'triple talak', i.e. the Muslim practice of instant divorce. The article investigates the fortune of this topic in European litterature and theatre. The intertextual itinerary starts from the collection of pseudo-Persian tales "Les milles et un jours" by Pétis de la Croix (Paris 1710-1712); other important steps are two pièces with the same title, "Arlequin hulla", the first one by Lesage and d'Orneval (Paris 1716), and the second one by Biancolelli and Romagnesi (Paris 1728). …

Giovanni De Gamerra, "Lucio Silla. Lucio Cornelio Silla dittatore".

Una scheda per il «Flaminio» di Federico e Pergolesi: «Benedetto, maledetto» tra memoria della scena ed equivoci del popolare

Checca’s canzona ‘Benedetto, maledetto’, the shortest number in "Il Flaminio" (1735) by Gennaro Antonio Federico and Giovanni Battista Pergolesi, has often been considered to be a direct quotation or a convincing inimitation of a popular song. In fact, its poetic text derives from the comedy "La Tancia" (1611) by Michelangelo Buonarroti the Younger. In both works the scene shows a therapeutic strategy adopted to stop a (presumed) epileptic seizure. The symbols and rituals described by Buonarroti and Federico refer to popular beliefs that were widespread in Italy, and that were brought to the stage also by the actors of the commedia dell’arte. Igor Stravisky uses Pergolesi’s short piece to i…

Elogio del Jommelli

Saverio Mattei (1742-1795) had a multifaceted personality. Born in Calabria but educated in Naples, he devoted himself to law and held important administrative positions. At the same time, he cultivated numerous cultural interests with inexhaustible enthusiasm: he was a translator of biblical psalms, a theorist of classical and modern dramaturgy, an author and reviser of librettos, a correspondent of Pietro Metastasio and the founder of the music library of the Conservatorio della Pietà de’ Turchini. His "Elogio del Jommelli o sia Il progresso della poesia e della musica teatrale" was printed for the first time in 1784 and published again one year later with a few but interesting variants. …

Tra sé. Funzioni e tecniche del “cantare a parte” in Jommelli

Singing "a parte" is a specific device of the theatrical and operatic communication. The first part of the article discusses the theorical and performative problems involved in the use of phrases said "tra sé" in musical numbers as reflected in eighteenth- end nineteenth-century treatises. The second part examines some examples taken from Jommelli's works, both serious and comic, in order to identify recurrent technics and features.

L’intermezzo, Napoli e l’Europa

The essay is an attempt to summarize the most up-to-date knowledge related to the history of the comic intermezzo. Some crucial examples of the Neapolitan scenic tradition are analyzed in order to highlight the progressive emancipation of comic scenes. An examination of the main dramatic and musical characteristics of the genre follows. The last part of the article concerns the European circulation of the Italian creations, with special attention to the famous "querelle des bouffons", which broke out in the mid-eighteenth century Paris following the performance of Giovambattista Pergolesi's "La serva padrona".

Madrid 1744: Calzabigi, Leo e i festeggiamenti per le nozze dell’Infanta di Spagna con il Delfino di Francia

Sumptuous ceremonies were organized in Madrid in December 1744 to celebrate the marriage of the Infanta of Spain Maria Teresa, daughter of Philippe v and Isabella Farnese, with the Dauphin of France Louis, son of Louis xv and Maria Leszczyńska. Their union was of great political importance, as it reinforced the alliance between the two Bourbon kingdoms during the War of the Austrian Succession (1740-1748). Refined musical works were specially composed to solemnize the event: Corselli’s "Achille in Sciro" and Astorga’s "Le deità superate" were offered by the court at the Buen Retiro palace; moreover, two different allegorical serenatas, one by Mele and the other by Leo, were commissioned by …

Costruire la regalità. Feste teatrali e cerimonie con musica a Napoli tra Giuseppe e Gioacchino (1806-1815)

The article examines the occasional genres flourished during the French domination in Naples (1806-1815). The new Napoleonic dinasty needed to obtain public consent, and so adopted old and new strategies of communication. In fact, the study of many different sources (librettos, scores, newspapers) indicates a fascinating coexistence of tradition and innovation. The period taken into consideration still offers many examples of traditional cantatas performed in theatres and aristocratic palaces. Together with these conventional pièces, though, it is possible to observe original and innovative creations, such as choreographic actions, prose comedies with incidental music and, above all, large …

Partenope in festa. Musiche e spettacoli per le nozze di Carlo di Borbone e Maria Amalia di Sassonia (Napoli, 1738)

The celebrations held in Naples for the wedding of King Charles of Bourbon to Maria Amalia of Saxony (1738) offer an interesting example of political propaganda implemented by means of a wise use of feasts. The court, the ecclesiastical institutions and the city authorities compete to honor the important dynastic event and spread a climate of exultation and consensus. The numerous initiatives aim to strengthen the union between the Bourbons and the Wettins and their respective cultures through a dense network of symbols and allegories. In this complex and stratified context, musical events – hosted in the most diverse venues and arranged along a well-thought-out calendar – play a fundamenta…

The Italian reception of Benda’s «Ariadne auf Naxos» and «Medea»: fascination and compromise

The monodramas “Ariadne auf Naxos” and “Medea” by the Czech composer Jiří Antonín Benda had an interesting and little known circulation in Italy, where they were translated, performed and adapted to local taste. Both the works were performed in Naples, in 1783 and in 1790 respectively, thanks to Norbert Hadrava, an officer in the Austrian army with a great passion for German music. The article demonstrates that Hadrava presented the two pièces on the stage of Teatro de’ Fiorentini with the original music by Benda, obtaining a large success. A manuscript score of “Medea” now in the library of the Conservatorio San Pietro a Majella in Naples is examined, as it is likely connected to the Neapo…

Saverio Mattei - Il natal d'Apollo. Componimento drammatico per festeggiare la nascita di S.A.R. il principe ereditario delle Sicilie

Description of the libretto "Il natal d'Apollo", a 'festa teatrale' written by Saverio Matteri to celebrate the birth of prince Carlo Tito (1775), son of the kings of Naples Ferdinand IV and Maria Carolina, with summary of the plot and interpretation of the allegorical allusions.

I viaggi di Orfeo. Musiche e musicisti intorno a Ranieri Calzabigi

Il volume raccoglie (e largamente rielabora) sei saggi dedicati ad altrettanti momenti della vita e dell'attività di Ranieri Calzabigi (1714-1795), figura centralissima della storia operistica settecentesca. In particolare vengono ricostruiti in dettaglio il primo e il secondo soggiorno napoletano (capitoli I e IV), che si collocano agli estremi della parabola esistenziale e professionale del librettista di Gluck. Il secondo capitolo lumeggia il suo coinvolgimento nella genesi e nella metamorfosi dell'«Ifigenia in Tauride» di Coltellini e Traetta per Vienna (1763). Il terzo e il quinto sono invece dedicati a due creazioni specifiche, il componimento drammatico «Comala», intonato da Pietro M…

Metastasio sul letto di Procuste. A proposito di due sonetti per nozze

Metastasio wrote a limited number of sonnets, and in various letters expressed deep perplexities about the value and the efficacy of this poetic form. A recent edition of his “Poesie”, edited by Rosa Necchi in 2009, offers the twenty-nine texts approved by the author as well as six more ones discovered from the end of the Eighteenth Century up to recent times. The article adds to this corpus two forgotten sonnets included in epithalamic anthologies printed in Naples in 1717 and in Rome in 1722 respectively, and illustrates their unexpected subsequent re-uses.

Caldara e l’«amorosa investigazione dell’antico»: sulla fortuna di alcune arie tra Otto e Novecento

Some arias by (or attributed to) Caldara were involved in the revival of ancient music which took place between Nineteenth and early Twentieth Century. The most famous of them, “Come raggio di sol”, is likely a forgery in late-Romantic style, as demonstrated through the examination of its literary and musical features. The short piece acquired great celebrity thanks to the soprano Alice Barbi, who performed it in many European capitals; its fortune was so large that it was quoted word by word and commented in a novel by the Italian writer Matilde Serao, “Ella non rispose” (1914). Moreover, its musical treatment inspired Ottorino Respighi for the fourth of his “Sei melodie” (1909), while its…

La 'riforma' a Napoli: materiali per un capitolo di storia della ricezione

From 1774 to 1785, Naples hosted six different productions of Gluck's 'reform' operas: two of "Orfeo ed Euridice" (both in 1774, but in two different versions and venues), two of "Alceste" (in 1779 and 1785) and two of "Paride ed Elena" (in 1777 and 1779). In the first part, the article collects and discusses all the extant documents about these performances. The second part is a detailed study of the ideas of the Neapolitan theorists about Calzabigi and Gluck. The article demostrates that, even if some authors appreciated specific features of the 'reform', the Neapolitan musical culture was dominated by a more traditional operatic taste.

AN UNKNOWN TRIBUTE BY FARINELLI TO KING PHILIP V OF SPAIN

ABSTRACTCarlo Broschi, better known as Farinelli, arrived in Madrid on 7 August 1737. King Philip V and his wife Elisabeth Farnese were deeply impressed by his vocal qualities and invited him to remain in their service, on extremely rewarding terms. Although few sources concerning his first months in Spain are available, a newly discovered libretto, L'ombra di Luigi XIV il Grande, sheds light on his position at the Spanish court and his response to the privileged situation he enjoyed. The work is a short solo cantata commissioned by Farinelli and offered to Philip V for his name day in 1738. The title-page indicates Francesco Feo as the composer, but no sources for the musical setting have …

Il terzo atto al San Carlo di Napoli nell’ultimo trentennio del Settecento: declino, atrofizzazione, scomparsa

In the last decades of the eighteenth century, the third act of opera seria was gradually reduced in importance and dimensions until it disappeared altogether. The article studies this process in relation to the repertoire of the San Carlo theatre in Naples from 1771 on, with special attention to the intertwining of dramaturgical choices and audience’s behavior. The examination of a large number of librettos and scores makes it possible to fix reliable chronological terms. After an isolated episode in 1780, the adfirmation of the two-act model can be traced back to the 1786-1787 season. The new formula quickly took hold, but three-act operas continued to be performed - with ever decreasing …

Suoni intorno al principe di Sansevero. Musiche per Raimondo di Sangro e Carlotta Gaetani

Raimondo di Sangro, Prince of Sansevero (1710-1771), is known for his eccentric ideas as well as for the Masonic symbolism he adopted in rebuilding his family chapel, in downtown Naples. This essay traces his musical interests, so far under-researched. The sonoric elements in some of his inventions are highlighted. Data are collected on the carrillon he commissioned, built after North European models. Theatrical texts related to his patronage are analyzed, including the curious dialect libretto “Li sconquasse de lo Pennino” (1757). Attention is given to his wife, Carlotta Gaetani, the dedicatee of a little-known musical printing, the “Scelta di arie” from “L’eroe cinese” set to music by Bal…

Opera, ball and spoken theatre at the royal palace of Caserta

The royal palace of Caserta was built at the behest of Charles of Bourbon but completed under his son, Ferdinand IV. During the second half of the Eigheteenth Century, it hosted many different musical activities; succesfull serious and comic operas already performed in the theatres of Naples as well as vocal and instrumental concerts were offered there to a selected audience. Tragedies, “all’immprovviso” comedies and balls were also frequently enjoyed by the members of the royal family. In the small center of San Leucio, 4 kilometres far from Caserta, Paisiello’s “Nina o sia La pazza per amore” was premiered in 1789.

«Bella mia fiamma, addio / Resta, o cara» tra Jommelli e Mozart: osservazioni e ipotesi sull’aria K. 528

Mozart wrote the scena and aria K. 528 in Prague in 1787 for the singer Josepha Duschek. As previously known, this wonderful page is based on a text taken from “Cerere placata”, a “festa teatrale” created in Naples in 1772 by the man of letters and scientist Michele Sarcone and the renowned “maestro di cappella” Niccolò Jommelli to celebrate the birth of the first daughter of king Ferdinand IV of Bourbon. The article reconstructs in detail the circumstances of the Neapolitan performance, and shows that Jommelli’s setting of Titano’s recitative and aria “Bella mia fiamma, addio” / “Resta, o cara; acerba morte” enjoyed a large success and circulated as an autonomous piece. A comparison betwee…

Musica e sociabilità nelle lettere di Antonio di Gennaro a Giovanni Cristofano Amaduzzi

The Neapolitan man of letters Antonio di Gennaro Duke of Belforte (1717-1791) had a lenghty exchange of letters with Giovanni Cristofano Amaduzzi (1740-1792) starting from 1778; the contact between the two, who never met in person, was facilitated by Aurelio de’ Giorgi Bertola (1753-1798). The paper provides a short profile of Belforte, and describes his constant interest in music as well as his occasional activity as a librettist. Belforte's letters to Amaduzzi, still unpublished, are examined in order to collect information on the performances – in the court, theater or academy – he attended. The selected data not only offer valuable details and judgments about composers and compositions, b…

Appunti sui libretti per musica di Gioacchino Pizzi

In recent years historians of the literature, culture and sociality of the academies have shown a renewed interest in Gioacchino Pizzi (Nivildo Amarinzio), who was the Custode of Arcadia from 1772 to 1790. On the other hand, there have been no specific studies of his relations with the world of music. The first part of the article offers a first inventory of Nivildo’s printed libretti, belonging to the genres of encomiastic cantata, sacred composition and dramma per musica. The second part illustrates the ideas on Italian and French theatre expounded by Pizzi in his "Ragionamento sulla tragica e comica poesia" (1772). It also reconstructs his relationship with Pietro Metastasio, and explore…

Introduzione a "Drammi comici per musica III 1754-1755"

The six librettos included in the third volume of Goldoni’s “Drammi comici per musica” (in the context of the “Edizione nazionale delle opere di Carlo Goldoni”) date to the years 1754-1755, a crucial period in the career of the Venetian author. The first chapter discusses Goldoni’s ideas on musical dramaturgy as exposed in the preface to “De gustibus non est disputandum” and in other theoretical texts. Each libretto (“De gusibus non est disputandum”, “Il filosofo di campagna”, “Lo speziale”, “Il povero superbo”, “Le nozze” and “La diavolessa”, as well as “Li matti per amore”, not given in print but available on the website www.carlogoldoni.it) is examined in a separate chapter, with special…

Felicità (e infelicità) sulle scene musicali tardosettecentesche: «La clemenza di Tito» di Mozart e «Nina o sia La pazza per amore» di Paisiello

Nelle pagine che seguono rinuncerò a seguire le sorti della felicità-parola, che si prolungano senza soluzione di continuità fino alla moderna musica di consumo, e mi limiterò a qualche osservazione sulla felicità-concetto attraverso l’esame – necessariamente sommario – di una coppia di opere della fine del XVIII secolo, selezionate tra le tante meritevoli d’attenzione: La clemenza di Tito di Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1791) e Nina o sia La pazza per amore di Giovanni Paisiello (1789-1790).

Pasquale Cafaro - Il natal d'Apollo, partitura

Description of the score of Pasquale Cafaro's "Il natal d'Apollo", a 'festa teatrale' on text by Saverio Matteri composed to celebrate the birth of prince Carlo Tito (1775), son of the kings of Naples Ferdinand IV and Maria Carolina, with brief discussion of the most interesting dramaturgical and musical features.

Prima di Croce. Le ricerche archivistiche di Vincenzo d'Auria sui teatri napoletani

The article illustrates the interest of the little-known essays on operatic activity in Naples published by Vincenzo d'Auria at the end of the nineteenth century. The author had the opportunity to examine archival documents that no longer exist today. His writings, all of which appeared in local journals, preceded Benedetto Croce's monograph on the history of Neapolitan theaters (1891). Despite their fragmentary and anecdotal character, d'Auria's studies deserve to be better known as they offer details not otherwise available.

Introduzione

Introduction to the methodological problems and the thematic contents of the volume, which contains the proceedings of the conference organized in 2013 by the Italian Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies.