Don Procopio
Encyclopedia
Don Procopio is a two-act opera buffa by Georges Bizet
with an Italian libretto completed in 1859, and first performed in 1906.
. Looking for inspiration for a work to send home, he found the subject for his opera buffa
in a second-hand bookstall in Rome, writing home that the piece was "an Italian farce in the manner of Don Pasquale
" by Carlo Cambiaggio (1798-1880). The words were a reduced version of I pretendenti delusi (1811) by Giuseppe Mosca (1772-1839).
Composition was sporadic over the winter of 1858-59; Bizet confessed that he was still trying to find his voice, although he intentionally aimed at an Italian style for this piece. The report from the Prix de Rome judges noted advances, but a later report signed by Ambroise Thomas
criticised Bizet for sending an 'opéra bouffe
' as his first envoi and suggested he divert his attention away from this toward sacred music (although Bizet failed to submit a religious envoi of any sort from Rome).
at his death in 1871 and it was acquired from the Auber family by the Paris Conservatoire in 1894.
The first production, in the revised edition by Charles Malherbe, was at the Salle Garnier
in Monte Carlo
, Monaco
on 10 March 1906, in a double-bill with Pagliacci
. There were performances in Barcelona
in 1907 and Rome
in 1908. The original version was performed at the Théatre Municipal
in Strasbourg
on 6 February 1958.
A recording in Russian, conducted by Vladimir Yesipov
, was issued by Melodiya
in 1962. The opera has been broadcast (in Italian) by the BBC, and in 1975 by French Radio.
by Donizetti
. Don Andronico, an old miser, wants to marry his niece Bettina to another miser. Don Procopio, because he is worried that a young man will spend all her money. Bettina is however in love with Colonel Odoardo. Assisted by her aunt Eusebia and brother Ernesto they plan to thwart the old men. Procopio is terrified that Bettina appears to be a spendthrift and grasping and tries to get out of the marriage. When she insists he abandons the contract and flees, and Andronico consents to the union of the young lovers.
; it is a vital and sparkling imitation of Don Pasquale. The familiar idiom is infused with original touches of harmony, orchestration and melodic turn.
The ensembles are particularly successful in using all the stock devices of opera buffa: voices in thirds, staccato chord accompanying and repetition of words. Ernesto’s "Non v’e signor" is an exact parallel of Malatesta's "Bella siccome un angelo" – in both, the baritone describes his sister's charms to the old man, in D flat.
Bizet used several episodes in later works:
while the March in Act I is taken from the finale of his Symphony in C
of 1855.
Georges Bizet
Georges Bizet formally Alexandre César Léopold Bizet, was a French composer, mainly of operas. In a career cut short by his early death, he achieved few successes before his final work, Carmen, became one of the most popular and frequently performed works in the entire opera repertory.During a...
with an Italian libretto completed in 1859, and first performed in 1906.
Background
Bizet spent three years in Italy, 1857 to 1860, as winner of the Prix de RomePrix de Rome
The Prix de Rome was a scholarship for arts students, principally of painting, sculpture, and architecture. It was created, initially for painters and sculptors, in 1663 in France during the reign of Louis XIV. It was an annual bursary for promising artists having proved their talents by...
. Looking for inspiration for a work to send home, he found the subject for his opera buffa
Opera buffa
Opera buffa is a genre of opera. It was first used as an informal description of Italian comic operas variously classified by their authors as ‘commedia in musica’, ‘commedia per musica’, ‘dramma bernesco’, ‘dramma comico’, ‘divertimento giocoso' etc...
in a second-hand bookstall in Rome, writing home that the piece was "an Italian farce in the manner of Don Pasquale
Don Pasquale
Don Pasquale is an opera buffa, or comic opera, in three acts by Gaetano Donizetti. The librettist Giovanni Ruffini wrote the Italian language libretto after Angelo Anelli's libretto for Stefano Pavesi's Ser Marcantonio ....
" by Carlo Cambiaggio (1798-1880). The words were a reduced version of I pretendenti delusi (1811) by Giuseppe Mosca (1772-1839).
Composition was sporadic over the winter of 1858-59; Bizet confessed that he was still trying to find his voice, although he intentionally aimed at an Italian style for this piece. The report from the Prix de Rome judges noted advances, but a later report signed by Ambroise Thomas
Ambroise Thomas
Charles Louis Ambroise Thomas was a French composer, best known for his operas Mignon and Hamlet and as Director of the Conservatoire de Paris from 1871 till his death.-Biography:"There is good music, there is bad music, and then there is Ambroise Thomas."- Emmanuel Chabrier-Early life...
criticised Bizet for sending an 'opéra bouffe
Opéra bouffe
Opéra bouffe is a genre of late 19th-century French operetta, closely associated with Jacques Offenbach, who produced many of them at the Théâtre des Bouffes-Parisiens that gave its name to the form....
' as his first envoi and suggested he divert his attention away from this toward sacred music (although Bizet failed to submit a religious envoi of any sort from Rome).
Performance history
There are three printed scores of Don Procopio, a vocal score published in 1905 before the premiere, a full score and a second vocal score, all of which are misleading by failing to distinguish genuine Bizet from fake (entr’acte and recitatives). The second and third scores contain two airs for Don Procopio adapted from Bizet’s songs; additional instruments were added to the scoring. The autograph score of Don Procopio was discovered in the papers left by Daniel AuberDaniel Auber
Daniel François Esprit Auber was a French composer.-Biography:The son of a Paris print-seller, Auber was born in Caen in Normandy. Though his father expected him to continue in the print-selling business, he also allowed his son to learn how to play several musical instruments...
at his death in 1871 and it was acquired from the Auber family by the Paris Conservatoire in 1894.
The first production, in the revised edition by Charles Malherbe, was at the Salle Garnier
Opéra de Monte-Carlo
The Opéra de Monte-Carlo is an opera house located in the principality of Monaco.With the lack of cultural diversions available in Monaco in the 1870s, Prince Charles III, along with the Société des Bains de Mer, decided on the construction of an opera house. Initially, it was Charles III's...
in Monte Carlo
Monte Carlo
Monte Carlo is an administrative area of the Principality of Monaco....
, Monaco
Monaco
Monaco , officially the Principality of Monaco , is a sovereign city state on the French Riviera. It is bordered on three sides by its neighbour, France, and its centre is about from Italy. Its area is with a population of 35,986 as of 2011 and is the most densely populated country in the...
on 10 March 1906, in a double-bill with Pagliacci
Pagliacci
Pagliacci , sometimes incorrectly rendered with a definite article as I Pagliacci, is an opera consisting of a prologue and two acts written and composed by Ruggero Leoncavallo. It recounts the tragedy of a jealous husband in a commedia dell'arte troupe...
. There were performances in Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
in 1907 and Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
in 1908. The original version was performed at the Théatre Municipal
Opéra national du Rhin
LOpéra national du Rhin is an opera company which performs in Alsace, eastern France, and which includes the Opéra in Strasbourg, the company's ballet in Mulhouse , and the "Opéra Studio" , a training centre for young singers, in Colmar...
in Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
on 6 February 1958.
A recording in Russian, conducted by Vladimir Yesipov
Vladimir Yesipov
Vladimir M. Yesipov was a Russian conductor active during the 1960s and 70s.He conducted a Tchaikovsky concert in Beijing in 1960. He was mentioned in Soviet Music along with Yuri Aranovich for his "creative energy"...
, was issued by Melodiya
Melodiya
Melodiya is a Russian record label. It was the state-owned major record company/label of the Soviet Union.-History:It was established in 1964 as the "All-Union Gramophone Record Firm of the USSR Ministry of Culture Melodiya"...
in 1962. The opera has been broadcast (in Italian) by the BBC, and in 1975 by French Radio.
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast, 10 March 1906 (Conductor: Léon Jehin Léon Jehin Léon Jehin, born Spa, Belgium 17 July 1853, died Monaco 14 February 1928, was a conductor and composer, especially associated with musical life and the opera house in Monte Carlo.-Life and career:... ) |
|---|---|---|
| Don Procopio | bass | Jean Périer Jean Périer Jean Périer was a French operatic baritone and actor. Although he sang principally within the operetta repertoire, Périer did portray a number of opera roles; mostly within operas by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Giacomo Puccini... |
| Bettina | soprano Soprano A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody... |
Angèle Pornot |
| Odoardo | tenor Tenor The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2... |
Charles Rousselière |
| Ernesto | baritone Baritone Baritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or... |
Maximilien-Nicolas Bouvet Max Bouvet Maximilien-Nicolas Bouvet was a French operatic baritone.Bouvet was born at La Rochelle. In 1875 he appeared at the Eldorado café-concert in Paris with the song Les myrtes son flétries by Gustave Nadaud and de Faure.... |
| Don Andronico | baritone | Victor Chalmin |
| Donna Eufemia | soprano | Jane Morlet |
| Pasquino | baritone | Paolo Ananian |
Synopsis
The plot is almost identical to Don PasqualeDon Pasquale
Don Pasquale is an opera buffa, or comic opera, in three acts by Gaetano Donizetti. The librettist Giovanni Ruffini wrote the Italian language libretto after Angelo Anelli's libretto for Stefano Pavesi's Ser Marcantonio ....
by Donizetti
Gaetano Donizetti
Domenico Gaetano Maria Donizetti was an Italian composer from Bergamo, Lombardy. His best-known works are the operas L'elisir d'amore , Lucia di Lammermoor , and Don Pasquale , all in Italian, and the French operas La favorite and La fille du régiment...
. Don Andronico, an old miser, wants to marry his niece Bettina to another miser. Don Procopio, because he is worried that a young man will spend all her money. Bettina is however in love with Colonel Odoardo. Assisted by her aunt Eusebia and brother Ernesto they plan to thwart the old men. Procopio is terrified that Bettina appears to be a spendthrift and grasping and tries to get out of the marriage. When she insists he abandons the contract and flees, and Andronico consents to the union of the young lovers.
Music
The music is a brilliant, youthful work, free of the influence of Bizet’s teacher Charles GounodCharles Gounod
Charles-François Gounod was a French composer, known for his Ave Maria as well as his operas Faust and Roméo et Juliette.-Biography:...
; it is a vital and sparkling imitation of Don Pasquale. The familiar idiom is infused with original touches of harmony, orchestration and melodic turn.
The ensembles are particularly successful in using all the stock devices of opera buffa: voices in thirds, staccato chord accompanying and repetition of words. Ernesto’s "Non v’e signor" is an exact parallel of Malatesta's "Bella siccome un angelo" – in both, the baritone describes his sister's charms to the old man, in D flat.
Bizet used several episodes in later works:
- a 2/4 section in the first finale – the Carnival Chorus in Act II of La jolie fille de PerthLa jolie fille de PerthLa jolie fille de Perth is an opera in four acts by Georges Bizet , from a libretto by Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges and Jules Adenis, after the novel by Sir Walter Scott...
- the chorus “Cheti piano!” – “Chante, chante encore” in Act I of Les pêcheurs de perlesLes pêcheurs de perlesLes pêcheurs de perles is an opera in three acts by the French composer Georges Bizet, to a libretto by Eugène Cormon and Michel Carré. It was first performed on 30 September 1863 at the Théâtre Lyrique in Paris, and was given 18 performances in its initial run...
- “Sulle piume” – Smith’s serenade in La jolie fille de Perth
while the March in Act I is taken from the finale of his Symphony in C
Symphony in C (Bizet)
The Symphony in C is an early work by the French composer Georges Bizet. According to Grove's Dictionary, the symphony "reveals an extraordinarily accomplished talent for an 17-year-old student, in melodic invention, thematic handling and orchestration." Bizet started work on the symphony on 29...
of 1855.