Opera, theatrical culture and society in late eighteenth-century Naples

341 Pages·2016·3.948 MB·English

by  DelDonna, Anthony

Opera, Theatrical Culture
and Society in Late
Eighteenth-Century Naples
Anthony R. DelDonna
An Ashgate Book
Opera, TheaTrical culTure and SOcieTy in
laTe eighTeenTh-cenTury napleS
AshgAte InterdIscIplInAry studIes
In OperA
series editor
roberta Montemorra Marvin
University of Iowa, USA
Advisory Board
linda hutcheon, University of Toronto, Canada
david levin, University of Chicago, USA
herbert lindenberger, emeritus professor, Stanford University, USA
Julian rushton, emeritus professor, University of Leeds, UK
The Ashgate Interdisciplinary Studies in Opera series provides a centralized
and prominent forum for the presentation of cutting-edge scholarship that draws
on numerous disciplinary approaches to a wide range of subjects associated
with the creation, performance, and reception of opera (and related genres) in
various historical and social contexts. There is great need for a broader approach
to scholarship about opera. in recent years, the course of study has developed
significantly, going beyond traditional musicological approaches to reflect
new perspectives from literary criticism and comparative literature, cultural
history, philosophy, art history, theatre history, gender studies, film studies,
political science, philology, psycho-analysis, and medicine. The new brands of
scholarship have allowed a more comprehensive interrogation of the complex
nexus of means of artistic expression operative in opera, one that has meaningfully
challenged prevalent historicist and formalist musical approaches. The
Ashgate Interdisciplinary Studies in Opera series continues to move this important
trend forward by including essay collections and monographs that reflect the
ever-increasing interest in opera in non-musical contexts. Books in the series
will be linked by their emphasis on the study of a single genre—opera—yet will
be distinguished by their individualized and novel approaches by scholars from
various disciplines/fields of inquiry. The remit of the series welcomes studies
of seventeenth century to contemporary opera from all geographical locations,
including non-Western topics.
Other titles in the series
Modernism and the Cult of Mountains: Music, Opera, Cinema
christopher Morris
Musical Theatre, Realism and Entertainment
Millie Taylor
Opera, Theatrical culture and
Society in late eighteenth-
century naples
anThOny r. deldOnna
Georgetown University, USA
First published 2012 by Ashgate Publishing
Published 2016 by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017, USA
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
Copyright © Anthony R. DelDonna 2012
Anthony R. DelDonna has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act,
1988, to be identified as the author of this work.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any
form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including
photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without
permission in writing from the publishers.
Notice:
Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used
only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
DelDonna, Anthony.
Opera, theatrical culture and society in late eighteenth-century Naples. – (Ashgate
interdisciplinary studies in opera)
1. Opera–Italy–Naples–18th century. 2. Opera audiences–Italy–Naples–History–18th
century.
I. Title II. Series
782.1’0945731’09033-dc23
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
DelDonna, Anthony.
Opera, theatrical culture and society in late eighteenth-century Naples / Anthony R.
DelDonna.
p. cm. – (Ashgate interdisciplinary studies in opera)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-4094-2278-5 (hardcover : alk. paper)
1. Opera–Italy–Naples–18th century. I. Title.
ML1733.8.N3D46 2012
792.50945’73109033–dc23
2012009616
ISBN 9781409422785 (hbk)
ISBN 9781315598987 (ebk)
Bach musicological font developed by © Yo Tomita.
To the memory of my brother
Joseph Vincent DelDonna
February 6, 1965 – August 31, 2010
Mere words can never render the feelings of love, loss and longing for
your presence in our lives.
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Contents
List of Figures ix
List of Music Examples xi
List of Tables xiii
List of Abbreviations xv
Series Editor’s Preface xvii
Acknowledgments xix
Introduction 1
1 Opera, Antiquity, and the Neapolitan Enlightenment in Paisiello’s Socrate
immaginario (1775) 13
2 Naples, carnevale and the commedia per musica: Il convitato di
pietra (1783) 43
3 Giovanni Paisiello’s Elfrida: Operatic Idol, Martyr and Symbol of
Nation 73
4 Nationalism, Cultural Identity and the Modern Neapolitan Kingdom:
Pietro Alessandro Guglielmi and Enea, e Lavinia 109
5 Debora e Sisara and the Rise of Lenten Tragedy 147
6 At the Precipice of Revolution: Piccinni’s Gionata (1792) as Drama
and Diplomacy 193
7 The Neapolitan Ballet d’Action: Il ratto delle Sabine (1780) 227
8 The Neapolitan Ballet d’Action and the Art of Experimentation 257
Bibliography 289
Index 311
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List of Figures
8.1 Vicente Martín y Soler, La Bella Arsene, Act I description 270
8.2 Vicente Martín y Soler, La Bella Arsene, Act I description 271