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Opera buffa

Opera buffa (Italian: [ˈɔːpera ˈbuffa]; "comic opera", plural: opere buffe) 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.

Especially associated with developments in Naples in the first half of the 18th century, whence its popularity spread to Rome and northern Italy, buffa was at first characterized by everyday settings, local dialects, and simple vocal writing (the basso buffo is the associated voice type), the main requirement being clear diction and facility with patter.

The New Grove Dictionary of Opera considers La Cilla (music by Michelangelo Faggioli, text by Francesco Antonio Tullio [it], 1706) and Luigi and Federico Ricci's Crispino e la comare (1850) to be the first and last appearances of the genre, although the term is still occasionally applied to newer work (for example Ernst Krenek's Zeitoper Schwergewicht). High points in this history are the 80 or so libretti by Carlindo Grolo, Loran Glodici, Sogol Cardoni[1] and various other approximate anagrams of Carlo Goldoni, the three Mozart/Da Ponte collaborations, and the comedies of Gioachino Rossini and Gaetano Donizetti.

Similar foreign genres such as French opéra comique, English ballad opera, Spanish zarzuela or German singspiel differed as well in having spoken dialogue in place of recitativo secco, although one of the most influential examples, Pergolesi's La serva padrona (which is an intermezzo, not opera buffa), sparked the querelle des bouffons in Paris as an adaptation without sung recitatives.

Opéra bouffon

Opéra bouffon is the French term for the Italian genre of opera buffa (comic opera) performed in 18th-century France, either in the original language or in French translation. It was also applied to original French opéras comiques having Italianate or near-farcical plots.[2]

The term was also later used by Jacques Offenbach for five of his operettas (Orphée aux enfers, Le pont des soupirs, Geneviève de Brabant, Le roman comique [fr] and Le voyage de MM. Dunanan père et fils[3]), and is sometimes confused with the French opéra comique and opéra bouffe.[4]

History

 
Alessandro Scarlatti, one of the first major composers of opera buffa

Comic characters had been a part of opera until the early 18th century, when opera buffa began to emerge as a separate genre, an early precursor having been the operatic comedy, Il Trespolo tutore, by Alessandro Stradella, in 1679. Opera buffa was a parallel development to opera seria, and arose in reaction to the so-called first reform of Apostolo Zeno and Pietro Metastasio.[1] It was, in part, intended as a genre that the common man could relate to more easily. Whereas opera seria was an entertainment that was both made for and depicted kings and nobility, opera buffa was made for and depicted common people with more common problems. High-flown language was generally avoided in favor of dialogue that the lower class would relate to, often in the local dialect, and the stock characters were often derived from those of the Italian commedia dell'arte. The 1701 scherzo drammatico (dramatic jest), Il mondo abbattuto by Nicola Sabini was particularly influential in Naples, creating a popular model due to its use of both Tuscan and Neapolitan dialects.[5]

In the early 18th century, comic operas often appeared as short, one-act interludes known as intermezzi that were performed in between acts of opera seria. There also existed, however, self-contained operatic comedies. La serva padrona (1733) by Giovanni Battista Pergolesi (1710–1736), is the one intermezzo still performed with any regularity today, and provides an excellent example of the style. Lo frate 'nnamorato (1732) and Il Flaminio (1735), by Pergolesi as well, are examples of the three-act commedia per musica.[6]

Apart from Pergolesi, the first major composers of opera buffa were Alessandro Scarlatti (Il trionfo dell'onore, 1718), Nicola Logroscino (Il governatore, 1747) and Baldassare Galuppi (Il filosofo di campagna, 1754), all of them based in Naples or Venice. The work of these was then resumed and expanded by Niccolò Piccinni (La Cecchina, 1760), Giovanni Paisiello (Nina, 1789) and Domenico Cimarosa (Il matrimonio segreto, 1792). The genre declined in the mid-19th century, despite Giuseppe Verdi's Falstaff staged in 1893.

The importance of opera buffa diminished during the Romantic period. Here, the forms were freer and less extended than in the serious genre and the set numbers were linked by recitativo secco, the exception being Donizetti's Don Pasquale in 1843. With Rossini, a standard distribution of four characters is reached: a prima donna soubrette (soprano or mezzo); a light, amorous tenor; a basso cantante or baritone capable of lyrical, mostly ironical expression; and a basso buffo whose vocal skills, largely confined to clear articulation and the ability to "patter", must also extend to the baritone for the purposes of comic duets.[7]

The type of comedy could vary, and the range was great: from Rossini's The Barber of Seville in 1816 which was purely comedic, to Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro in 1786 which added drama and pathos. Another example of Romantic opera buffa would be Donizetti's The Elixir of Love of 1832.

Relation to and differences from opera seria

While opera seria deals with gods and ancient heroes and only occasionally contained comic scenes, opera buffa involves the predominant use of comic scenes, characters, and plot lines in a contemporary setting. The traditional model for opera seria had three acts, dealt with serious subjects in mythical settings, as stated above, and used high voices (both sopranos and castrati) for principal characters, often even for monarchs.

In contrast, the model that generally held for opera buffa was having two acts (as, for example, The Barber of Seville), presenting comic scenes and situations as earlier stated and using the lower male voices to the exclusion of the castrati.[8] This led to the creation of the characteristic "basso buffo", a specialist in patter who was the center of most of the comic action. (A well-known basso buffo role is Leporello in Mozart's Don Giovanni.)

References

Notes

  1. ^ a b Patrick J. Smith: The Tenth Muse (Schirmer 1970) p. 103.
  2. ^ Bartlet, M Elizabeth C: "Opéra bouffon" in The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, ed. Stanley Sadie (London, 1992, Volume three, p. 685) ISBN 0-333-73432-7.
  3. ^ Scores:Le voyage de MM. Dunanan père et fils (Offenbach, Jacques)
  4. ^ Notably André-Guillaume Contant d'Orville (Histoire de l'opéra bouffon, Amsterdam, 1768, Vol. I and Vol. II) used the term as a synonym for opéra comique (Bartlet, cited above).
  5. ^ Jackman, James L. (2001). "Sabini [Sabino], Nicola". Grove Music Online. Revised by Francesca Seller. Oxford: Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.24234. ISBN 978-1-56159-263-0. (subscription or UK public library membership required)
  6. ^ Both operas by Pergolesi were originally styled a 'commedia per musica' by their own librettos (to be precise, 'commeddeja pe mmuseca' in Neapolitan as regards the former): cf Lo frate ’nnamorato, 1732 and Il Flaminio, 1735.
  7. ^ Fisher, Burton D. The Barber of Seville (Opera Classics Library Series)
  8. ^ Warrack, John; West, Ewan (1992), The Oxford Dictionary of Opera, ISBN 0-19-869164-5

Sources

  • Eisen, Cliff, et al. "Mozart" in Grove Music Online, Oxford Music Online sections 7–10. (subscription required)
  • Fisher, Burton D, The Barber of Seville (Opera Classics Library Series). Grand Rapids: Opera Journeys, 2005.
  • Grout, Donald, A Short History of Opera. New York, Columbia University Press, 1965.
  • Hunter, Mary (1999), The Culture of opera buffa in Mozart's Vienna: A Poetics of Entertainment. Princeton University Press, Princeton NJ 1999. (reviewed in: Stevens, Jane R. "Shifting Focus to Mozart's Operas." Eighteenth-Century Studies, Vol. 35, No. 1 (Fall 2001) pp. 160–62.)
  • Opera buffa. World Book Online Reference Center. 2008.
  • Parker, Roger, The Oxford illustrated History of Opera
  • Platoff, John (1992). "How Original Was Mozart? Evidence from "Opera Buffa"." Early Music: Vol. 20, No. 1. Oxford University Press, Feb. 1992. pp. 105–17.
  • Weiss, Piero; Julian Budden, "Opera buffa", Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online.
  • Webster, James, Hunter, Mary (1997). Opera Buffa in Mozart's Vienna. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, England 1997. (reviewed in: Baker, Nicole. "Untitled." Notes, Second Series, Vol. 56, No. 1 (September 1999) pp. 138–40.)
  • Weiss, Piero and Budden, Julian (1992). "Opera buffa" in The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, ed. Stanley Sadie, London. ISBN 0-333-73432-7

opera, buffa, confused, with, opéra, bouffe, italian, ˈɔːpera, ˈbuffa, comic, opera, plural, opere, buffe, genre, opera, first, used, informal, description, italian, comic, operas, variously, classified, their, authors, commedia, musica, commedia, musica, dram. Not to be confused with Opera bouffe Opera buffa Italian ˈɔːpera ˈbuffa comic opera plural opere buffe 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 Especially associated with developments in Naples in the first half of the 18th century whence its popularity spread to Rome and northern Italy buffa was at first characterized by everyday settings local dialects and simple vocal writing the basso buffo is the associated voice type the main requirement being clear diction and facility with patter The New Grove Dictionary of Opera considers La Cilla music by Michelangelo Faggioli text by Francesco Antonio Tullio it 1706 and Luigi and Federico Ricci sCrispino e la comare 1850 to be the first and last appearances of the genre although the term is still occasionally applied to newer work for example Ernst Krenek s Zeitoper Schwergewicht High points in this history are the 80 or so libretti by Carlindo Grolo Loran Glodici Sogol Cardoni 1 and various other approximate anagrams of Carlo Goldoni the three Mozart Da Ponte collaborations and the comedies of Gioachino Rossini and Gaetano Donizetti Similar foreign genres such as French opera comique English ballad opera Spanish zarzuela or German singspiel differed as well in having spoken dialogue in place of recitativo secco although one of the most influential examples Pergolesi s La serva padrona which is an intermezzo not opera buffa sparked the querelle des bouffons in Paris as an adaptation without sung recitatives Contents 1 Opera bouffon 2 History 3 Relation to and differences from opera seria 4 References 4 1 Notes 4 2 SourcesOpera bouffon EditOpera bouffon is the French term for the Italian genre of opera buffa comic opera performed in 18th century France either in the original language or in French translation It was also applied to original French operas comiques having Italianate or near farcical plots 2 The term was also later used by Jacques Offenbach for five of his operettas Orphee aux enfers Le pont des soupirs Genevieve de Brabant Le roman comique fr and Le voyage de MM Dunanan pere et fils 3 and is sometimes confused with the French opera comique and opera bouffe 4 History Edit Alessandro Scarlatti one of the first major composers of opera buffa Comic characters had been a part of opera until the early 18th century when opera buffa began to emerge as a separate genre an early precursor having been the operatic comedy Il Trespolo tutore by Alessandro Stradella in 1679 Opera buffa was a parallel development to opera seria and arose in reaction to the so called first reform of Apostolo Zeno and Pietro Metastasio 1 It was in part intended as a genre that the common man could relate to more easily Whereas opera seria was an entertainment that was both made for and depicted kings and nobility opera buffa was made for and depicted common people with more common problems High flown language was generally avoided in favor of dialogue that the lower class would relate to often in the local dialect and the stock characters were often derived from those of the Italian commedia dell arte The 1701 scherzo drammatico dramatic jest Il mondo abbattuto by Nicola Sabini was particularly influential in Naples creating a popular model due to its use of both Tuscan and Neapolitan dialects 5 In the early 18th century comic operas often appeared as short one act interludes known as intermezzi that were performed in between acts of opera seria There also existed however self contained operatic comedies La serva padrona 1733 by Giovanni Battista Pergolesi 1710 1736 is the one intermezzo still performed with any regularity today and provides an excellent example of the style Lo frate nnamorato 1732 and Il Flaminio 1735 by Pergolesi as well are examples of the three act commedia per musica 6 Apart from Pergolesi the first major composers of opera buffa were Alessandro Scarlatti Il trionfo dell onore 1718 Nicola Logroscino Il governatore 1747 and Baldassare Galuppi Il filosofo di campagna 1754 all of them based in Naples or Venice The work of these was then resumed and expanded by Niccolo Piccinni La Cecchina 1760 Giovanni Paisiello Nina 1789 and Domenico Cimarosa Il matrimonio segreto 1792 The genre declined in the mid 19th century despite Giuseppe Verdi s Falstaff staged in 1893 The importance of opera buffa diminished during the Romantic period Here the forms were freer and less extended than in the serious genre and the set numbers were linked by recitativo secco the exception being Donizetti s Don Pasquale in 1843 With Rossini a standard distribution of four characters is reached a prima donna soubrette soprano or mezzo a light amorous tenor a basso cantante or baritone capable of lyrical mostly ironical expression and a basso buffo whose vocal skills largely confined to clear articulation and the ability to patter must also extend to the baritone for the purposes of comic duets 7 The type of comedy could vary and the range was great from Rossini s The Barber of Seville in 1816 which was purely comedic to Mozart s The Marriage of Figaro in 1786 which added drama and pathos Another example of Romantic opera buffa would be Donizetti s The Elixir of Love of 1832 Relation to and differences from opera seria EditWhile opera seria deals with gods and ancient heroes and only occasionally contained comic scenes opera buffa involves the predominant use of comic scenes characters and plot lines in a contemporary setting The traditional model for opera seria had three acts dealt with serious subjects in mythical settings as stated above and used high voices both sopranos and castrati for principal characters often even for monarchs In contrast the model that generally held for opera buffa was having two acts as for example The Barber of Seville presenting comic scenes and situations as earlier stated and using the lower male voices to the exclusion of the castrati 8 This led to the creation of the characteristic basso buffo a specialist in patter who was the center of most of the comic action A well known basso buffo role is Leporello in Mozart s Don Giovanni References EditNotes Edit a b Patrick J Smith The Tenth Muse Schirmer 1970 p 103 Bartlet M Elizabeth C Opera bouffon in The New Grove Dictionary of Opera ed Stanley Sadie London 1992 Volume three p 685 ISBN 0 333 73432 7 Scores Le voyage de MM Dunanan pere et fils Offenbach Jacques Notably Andre Guillaume Contant d Orville Histoire de l opera bouffon Amsterdam 1768 Vol I and Vol II used the term as a synonym for opera comique Bartlet cited above Jackman James L 2001 Sabini Sabino Nicola Grove Music Online Revised by Francesca Seller Oxford Oxford University Press doi 10 1093 gmo 9781561592630 article 24234 ISBN 978 1 56159 263 0 subscription or UK public library membership required Both operas by Pergolesi were originally styled a commedia per musica by their own librettos to be precise commeddeja pe mmuseca in Neapolitan as regards the former cf Lo frate nnamorato 1732 and Il Flaminio 1735 Fisher Burton D The Barber of Seville Opera Classics Library Series Warrack John West Ewan 1992 The Oxford Dictionary of Opera ISBN 0 19 869164 5 Sources Edit Eisen Cliff et al Mozart in Grove Music Online Oxford Music Online sections 7 10 subscription required Fisher Burton D The Barber of Seville Opera Classics Library Series Grand Rapids Opera Journeys 2005 Grout Donald A Short History of Opera New York Columbia University Press 1965 Hunter Mary 1999 The Culture ofopera buffain Mozart s Vienna A Poetics of Entertainment Princeton University Press Princeton NJ 1999 reviewed in Stevens Jane R Shifting Focus to Mozart s Operas Eighteenth Century Studies Vol 35 No 1 Fall 2001 pp 160 62 Opera buffa World Book Online Reference Center 2008 Parker Roger The Oxford illustrated History of Opera Platoff John 1992 How Original Was Mozart Evidence from Opera Buffa Early Music Vol 20 No 1 Oxford University Press Feb 1992 pp 105 17 Weiss Piero Julian Budden Opera buffa Grove Music Online Oxford Music Online Webster James Hunter Mary 1997 Opera Buffa in Mozart s Vienna Cambridge University Press Cambridge England 1997 reviewed in Baker Nicole Untitled Notes Second Series Vol 56 No 1 September 1999 pp 138 40 Weiss Piero and Budden Julian 1992 Opera buffa in The New Grove Dictionary of Opera ed Stanley Sadie London ISBN 0 333 73432 7 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Opera buffa amp oldid 1134325723, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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