Pierpaolo Polzonetti

The Cambridge companion to eighteenth-century opera

Chronology of relevant events in eighteenth-century opera Part I. The Making of Opera: 1. Opera as process Pierpaolo Polzonetti 2. Aria as drama James Webster 3. Ensembles and finales Caryl Clark 4. Metastasio: the dramaturgy of eighteenth-century heroic opera Francesco Cotticelli and Paologiovanni Maione 5. Roles and acting Gianni Cicali 6. Ballet Rebecca Harris-Warrick 7. Orchestra and voice in eighteenth-century Italian opera John Spitzer 8. To look again (at Don Giovanni) Alessandra Campana Part II. National Styles and Genres: 9. Genre and form in French opera David Charlton 10. Genre and form in German opera Estelle Joubert 11. Opera in eighteenth-century England: English opera, masques, ballad operas Michael Burden 12. Opera in Naples Anthony R. DelDonna 13. Portugal and Brazil Manuel Carlos de Brito 14. Opera, genre, and context in Spain and its American colonies Louise Stein and Jose Maximo Leza.

Aria as drama

The primacy of aria In eighteenth-century opera, the aria was supreme. Although in practice the distinction was less hidebound than the usual later descriptions would imply, most operas were constructed on the principle of strict alternation between passages of action and dialogue in versi sciolti (free verse, usually in a combination of seven- and eleven-syllable lines), set musically as recitative; and passages of reaction for single characters in closed poetic forms, set musically as fully composed, semantically and expressively significant movements with orchestral accompaniment – that is, as arias. Indeed, almost all the concerted vocal numbers were arias (plus the occasional duet and the very occasional trio); although the gradually increasing proportion and importance of ensembles late in the century (especially in comic operas) qualified this high status, it did not abrogate it. (As in most respects, the tragedie lyrique in France was somewhat different; it was characterized by a more nearly fluid alternation among recitative, arioso, and air, with the air shorter and more nearly integrated into the flow, as well as by an emphasis on chorus and ballet that by and large was foreign to opera in Italian.) However, the primacy of the aria was not merely dramaturgical and statistical, but aesthetic as well. It was reflected in historical tradition and strength of conventions, prestige among theorists and aestheticians, care lavished by composers, identification with star performers and the culture of performativity, and interest on the part of audiences.

Metastasio: the dramaturgy of eighteenth-century heroic opera

It is impossible to understand eighteenth-century opera without considering the work and legacy of Pietro Metastasio (1698–1782). The history of melodrama would have been fundamentally different if this extraordinary poet had not realized the enormous potential of the genre and had not made it a sophisticated venue for the circulation of contemporary cultural ideas and themes throughout Europe. In the course of the eighteenth century, Metastasios libretti were seen as an unequaled model of style, technique, dramatic tension, and psychological insight. They provided, moreover, philosophical inquiries coupled to a unique command of drama. Metastasios libretti were set to music by innumerable composers, attracted by the prestige and the literary elegance of his verses, which were regarded as gifted with an innate lyricism. Georg Frideric Handel, Domenico Sarro, Leonardo Vinci, Nicholo Jommelli, Nicholo Piccinni, Johann Adolph Hasse, and, of course, Mozart (whose La clemenza di Tito is among the most powerful settings of Metastasian works testifying how they were still popular in the last decades of the century) are only a small number of the composers among the legions that set Metastasios libretti. Indeed, in the whole eighteenth century, setting a libretto by Metastasio was the first and ultimate test of distinction and ability for musicians throughout Europe. Even in the nineteenth century his works continued to be valued by artists of the caliber of Beethoven and Schubert and, of course, Rossini, who even set multiple versions of the aria “Mi lagnero tacendo.”