Le cantatrici villane
Encyclopedia
Le cantatrici villane is a comic opera (dramma giocoso) in two acts composed by Valentino Fioravanti
to a libretto
by Giovanni Palomba. It was first performed in Naples
in 1799. A revised one act version premiered at the Teatro San Moisè
in Venice as Le virtuose ridicole in 1801.
An opera by Antonio Cagnoni
based on the same libretto and entitled Don Bucefalo premiered in Milan in 1847.
, a village near Naples
.
Three country wenches have aspiration to become bel canto
virtuose with the help of an ignorant choirmaster (Don Bucefalo) and another would be singer (Don Marco), but things get complicated with the unexpected return of bragging soldier and jealous husband (Carlino).
Valentino Fioravanti
Valentino Fioravanti was a celebrated Italian composer of opera buffas.One of the best opera buffa composers between Domenico Cimarosa and Gioacchino Rossini. He was especially popular in Naples, and was the first in Italy to introduce spoken dialogue in the French manner in his works, sometimes...
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 Giovanni Palomba. It was first performed in Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
in 1799. A revised one act version premiered 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 as Le virtuose ridicole in 1801.
An opera by Antonio Cagnoni
Antonio Cagnoni
Antonio Cagnoni was an Italian composer. Primarily known for his operas, his work is characterized by his use of leitmotifs and moderately dissonant harmonies. In addition to writing music for the stage, he composed a modest amount of sacred music, most notably a Requiem in 1888...
based on the same libretto and entitled Don Bucefalo premiered in Milan in 1847.
Roles
- Rosa, a peasant believed to be a widow (sopranoSopranoA 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...
) - Agata, a peasant (soprano)
- Giannetta, a peasant (soprano)
- Don Bucefalo, a timid and ignorant choirmaster (bass)
- Don Marco, a well-to-do student of Don Bucefalo and in love with Rosa (bass)
- Carlino, a young soldier who has disappeared in Spain and husband of Rosa (tenorTenorThe 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...
) - Giansimone, a waiter in the local inn (tenor)
Synopsis
The action takes place in 18th century CasoriaCasoria
Casoria is a comune in the Province of Naples in the Italian region Campania, located about 9 km northeast of Naples.Casoria borders the following municipalities: Afragola, Arzano, Cardito, Casalnuovo di Napoli, Casavatore, Frattamaggiore, Naples, Volla.-History:The name of Casoria is...
, a village near Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
.
Three country wenches have aspiration to become bel canto
Bel canto
Bel canto , along with a number of similar constructions , is an Italian opera term...
virtuose with the help of an ignorant choirmaster (Don Bucefalo) and another would be singer (Don Marco), but things get complicated with the unexpected return of bragging soldier and jealous husband (Carlino).
Discography
- Le cantatrice villane - Alda NoniAlda NoniAlda Noni was an Italian soprano leggiero, one of the leading soubrette of the immediate postwar period.Born in Trieste, she first studied voice and piano in her native city, and completed her studies in Vienna...
, Ester Orell, Fernanda Cadoni, Sesto BruscantiniSesto BruscantiniSesto Bruscantini was an Italian baritone, one of the greatest buffo singers of the post-war era, especially renowned in Mozart and Rossini....
, Franco Calabrese, Agostino Lazzari - Orchestra di Napoli, Mario RossiMario RossiMario Rossi was an Italian conductor, noted for his solid and meticulous readings of a repertory ranging from Italian classics to Russian moderns such as Prokoffiev, to the German operatic classicist Christoph Willibald Gluck.He studied composition in Rome with Respighi and conducting with Giacomo...
- CetraCetraCetra Records was an Italian company which produced opera recordings from the 1930s onwards. Its roster of artists included Maria Callas, Renata Tebaldi, Lina Pagliughi, Ebe Stignani, Carlo Bergonzi, Galliano Masini, Giovanni Malipiero, Ferruccio Tagliavini, Carlo Tagliabue, Rolando Panerai,...
reissued by Warner-Fonit (1951)
Sources
- Anderson, James (1993). The Complete Dictionary of Opera & Operetta. Wings Books. ISBN 0517091569
- Casaglia, Gherardo (2005). "Valentino Fioravanti". Almanacco Amadeus. Accessed 13 May 2011
- Gelli, Piero ed. (2007a). "Don Bucefalo", Dizionario dell'Opera, Baldini Castoldi Dalai, 2007, ISBN 8860731844. Accessed online 13 May 2011
- Gelli, Piero ed. (2007b). "Cantatrici villane, Le", Dizionario dell'Opera, Baldini Castoldi Dalai, 2007, ISBN 8860731844. Accessed online 13 May 2011
- Polzonetti, Pierpaolo (2011). Italian Opera in the Age of the American Revolution. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0521897084
External links
- Libretto
- Vocal scores for two arias from Le cantatrici villane at the International Music Score Library ProjectInternational Music Score Library ProjectThe International Music Score Library Project , also known as the Petrucci Music Library after publisher Ottaviano Petrucci, is a project for the creation of a virtual library of public domain music scores, based on the wiki principle...