La cambiale di matrimonio
Encyclopedia
La cambiale di matrimonio (The Bill of Marriage or The Marriage Contract) is a one-act opera
tic farsa comica
by Gioachino Rossini to a libretto
by Gaetano Rossi
. The libretto was based on the play by Camillo Federici
(1791) and a previous libretto by Giuseppe Checcherini for Carlo Coccia
's 1807 opera, Il matrimonio per lettera di cambio. The opera debuted on November 3, 1810, at the Teatro San Moisè
in Venice
Composed in a few days when he was 18 years old, La cambiale di matrimonio was Rossini's first professional opera. The overture, written when he was a student at the Liceo Musicale in Bologna, is an important part of the modern concert repertoire. As was to become typical of his later career, the duet "Dunque io son" was later reused, to greater effect, in act 1 of The Barber of Seville
.
Local merchant, Tobias Mill, receives a blank marriage contract from a Canadian businessman, Mr. Slook. Although quite surprised, Mill announces to his servants Norton and Clarina that he intends to accept the contract on behalf of his daughter Fanny. When Fanny and her penniless lover Edward Milfort hear about this, Milfort vows to fight the situation. Slook arrives on the scene and is surprised both by the elaborate reception he receives as well as by Mill’s desire to promptly effect the marriage. Slook addresses Fanny in a duet that soon expands as Milfort joins in to threaten him with bodily harm unless he leaves town immediately.
Slook offers to pull out of the contract, but Mill feels slighted and challenges him to a duel. Slook makes Milfort his heir and signs Fanny over to him and then prepares to leave town. Fanny and Milfort are thankful and Slook lounges around comfortably smoking a pipe. Mill, who does not yet know of the settlement, rages into the scene until all is revealed and ends in celebration.
, and is frequently performed.
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
tic farsa comica
Farsa
Farsa is a genre of opera, associated with Venice in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. It is also sometimes called farsetta....
by Gioachino Rossini to a libretto
Libretto
A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata, or musical. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata, or even the story line of a...
by Gaetano Rossi
Gaetano Rossi
Gaetano Rossi was an Italian writer who wrote opera libretti for several composers including Mayr, Rossini, Donizetti, Mercadante, Pacini, and Meyerbeer.-Biography:...
. The libretto was based on the play by Camillo Federici
Camillo Federici
Camillo Federici was an Italian dramatist and actor.He was born at Garessio, a small town in Piedmont. His real name was Giovanni Battista Viassolo; he took his pen-name from the title of one of his first pieces, Camillo e Federico. He was educated at Turin, and showed an early fondness for...
(1791) and a previous libretto by Giuseppe Checcherini for Carlo Coccia
Carlo Coccia
Carlo Coccia was an Italian opera composer. He was known for the genre of opera semiseria.- Life and career :...
's 1807 opera, Il matrimonio per lettera di cambio. The opera debuted on November 3, 1810, at the Teatro San Moisè
Teatro San Moisè
The Teatro San Moisè was an opera house in Venice, active from 1640 to 1818. It was in a prominent location near the Palazzo Giustinian and the church of San Moisè at the entrance to the Grand Canal....
in Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
Composed in a few days when he was 18 years old, La cambiale di matrimonio was Rossini's first professional opera. The overture, written when he was a student at the Liceo Musicale in Bologna, is an important part of the modern concert repertoire. As was to become typical of his later career, the duet "Dunque io son" was later reused, to greater effect, in act 1 of The Barber of Seville
The Barber of Seville
The Barber of Seville, or The Futile Precaution is an opera buffa in two acts by Gioachino Rossini with a libretto by Cesare Sterbini. The libretto was based on Pierre Beaumarchais's comedy Le Barbier de Séville , which was originally an opéra comique, or a mixture of spoken play with music...
.
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast, November 3, 1810 (Conductor: ) |
|---|---|---|
| Tobias Mill, an English merchant | bass | Luigi Raffanelli |
| Fanny, his daughter | 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... |
Rosa Morandi |
| Edward Milfort, Fanny's lover | 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... |
Tommaso Ricci |
| Slook, a Canadian merchant | bass | Nicola De Grecis |
| Norton, Mills' clerk | bass | Domenico Remolini |
| Clarina, Fanny's chambermaid | mezzo-soprano Mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano is a type of classical female singing voice whose range lies between the soprano and the contralto singing voices, usually extending from the A below middle C to the A two octaves above... |
Clementina Lanari |
Synopsis
- Place: London
- 18th Century
Local merchant, Tobias Mill, receives a blank marriage contract from a Canadian businessman, Mr. Slook. Although quite surprised, Mill announces to his servants Norton and Clarina that he intends to accept the contract on behalf of his daughter Fanny. When Fanny and her penniless lover Edward Milfort hear about this, Milfort vows to fight the situation. Slook arrives on the scene and is surprised both by the elaborate reception he receives as well as by Mill’s desire to promptly effect the marriage. Slook addresses Fanny in a duet that soon expands as Milfort joins in to threaten him with bodily harm unless he leaves town immediately.
Slook offers to pull out of the contract, but Mill feels slighted and challenges him to a duel. Slook makes Milfort his heir and signs Fanny over to him and then prepares to leave town. Fanny and Milfort are thankful and Slook lounges around comfortably smoking a pipe. Mill, who does not yet know of the settlement, rages into the scene until all is revealed and ends in celebration.
English translation
La cambiale di matrimonio was translated into English, and updated to Depression era Boston, as The IOU Wedding, by Richard PearlmanRichard Pearlman
Richard Pearlman was an American theatre and opera director and educator known for his encyclopedic knowledge on every aspect of opera from stage direction to makeup....
, and is frequently performed.
Recordings
| Year | Cast: Sir Tobia Mill, Fanni, Edoardo, Slook |
Conductor, Opera House and Orchestra |
Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 | Rolando Panerai, Renata Scotto Renata Scotto Renata Scotto is an Italian soprano and opera director.Recognized for her sense of style, musicality and as a remarkable singer-actress, Scotto is considered one of the preeminent singers of her generation, specializing in the bel canto repertoire with excursions into the verismo and Verdi... , Nicola Monti, Renato Capecchi |
Renato Fasano, I Virtuosi di Roma (Recorded by Mercury in the late summer of 1959 at the Teatro Grande, Brescia) |
Audio CD: Italian Opera Rarities Cat: LO 7738 |
| 2006 | Paolo Bordogna, Desirée Rancatore, Saimir Pirgu, Fabio (Maria) Capitanucci |
Umberto Benedetti Michelangeli, Orchestra Haydn di Bolzano e Trento (Audio and video recordings made at performances at the Rossini Opera Festival Rossini Opera Festival The Rossini Opera Festival is an opera festival held in August of each year in Pesaro, Italy, the birthplace of the opera composer Gioachino Rossini.... , Pesaro, August). |
Audio CD: Dynamic Cat: CDS 529; DVD: Naxos Cat: 2110228 |
External links
- Libretto, Deutsche Rossini Gesellschaft. Accessed 23 March 2008.