Jump to content

La serva padrona: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous edit
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
wl Isabelle Poulenard
 
(29 intermediate revisions by 25 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Short description|1733 opera by Giovanni Battista Pergolesi}}
{{Infobox opera
{{Infobox opera
| name = La serva padrona
| name = La serva padrona
Line 14: Line 15:
| premiere_location = [[Teatro San Bartolomeo]], [[Naples]]
| premiere_location = [[Teatro San Bartolomeo]], [[Naples]]
}}
}}
'''''La serva padrona''''', or ''The Maid Turned Mistress'', is a 1733 [[intermezzo]] by [[Giovanni Battista Pergolesi]] (1710–1736) to a [[libretto]] by [[Gennaro Federico]], after the [[Play (theatre)|play]] by Jacopo Angello Nelli. It is some 45 minutes long, in two sections without overture, and was written as light-hearted staged entertainment between the acts of Pergolesi's serious opera ''[[Il_prigionier_superbo|Il prigionier superbo]]''.
'''''La serva padrona''''' ('''''The Maid Turned Mistress''''') is a 1733 [[intermezzo]] by [[Giovanni Battista Pergolesi]] (1710–1736) to a [[libretto]] by [[Gennaro Federico]], after the [[Play (theatre)|play]] by Jacopo Angello Nelli. It is some 40 minutes long, in two parts without overture, and was written as light-hearted staged entertainment between the acts of Pergolesi's serious opera ''[[Il prigionier superbo]]''. More specifically each of the two parts, set in the same dressing room, played during an intermission of the three-act opera to amuse people who remained in their seats.


Federico's libretto was also set by [[Giovanni Paisiello]], in 1781.
Federico's libretto was also set by [[Giovanni Paisiello]], in 1781.


==Performance history==
==Performance history==
''La serva padrona'' and the [[opera seria]] it punctuates were premiered at the [[Teatro San Bartolomeo]] on 5 September 1733, the first performances there after an earthquake the previous year in [[Naples]] had closed all theatres. Both were written for the birthday of [[Holy Roman Empress]] [[Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel]] a few days earlier.<ref>[https://oxfordindex.oup.com/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.O009122 "Prigioniero superbo, Il"] by Dale E. Monson, ''[[Grove Music Online]]''</ref>
''La serva padrona'' and the [[opera seria]] it punctuates were premiered at the [[Teatro San Bartolomeo]] on 6 September 1733, the first performances there after an earthquake the previous year in [[Naples]] had closed all theatres. Both were written for the birthday of [[Holy Roman Empress]] [[Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel]] a few days earlier.<ref>[https://oxfordindex.oup.com/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.O009122 "Prigioniero superbo, Il"] by Dale E. Monson, ''[[Grove Music Online]]''</ref>


''Il prigioniero superbo'' was unsuccessful in its day<ref>Grout and Williams (2003), p. 232</ref> but has been staged in the composer's home town of Jesi several times and recorded there in 1997, 1998 and 2009, being filmed during the latter year. But ''La serva padrona'' was an immediate hit and became its own stand-alone work. Audiences found it appealing for its relatable characters: wily maid versus aging master. More significantly it became a model for the [[opera buffa]] genre and a quintessential piece bridging the [[Baroque]] and the [[Classical music era|Classical]] periods. With a new finale its French version provided the catalyst for the infamous [[Querelle des Bouffons]].
''Il prigioniero superbo'' was unsuccessful in its day<ref>Grout and Williams (2003), p. 232</ref> but has been staged in the composer's home town of Jesi several times and recorded there in 1997, 1998 and 2009, being filmed during the latter year. But ''La serva padrona'' was an immediate hit and became its own stand-alone work. Audiences found it appealing for its relatable characters: wily maid versus aging master. More significantly it became a model for the [[opera buffa]] genre and a quintessential piece bridging the [[Baroque]] and the [[Classical music era|Classical]] periods. With a new finale its French version provided the catalyst for the infamous [[Querelle des Bouffons]].
Line 40: Line 41:
''[[Intermezzo#Opera intermezzo|Part]] 1 – dressing room''
''[[Intermezzo#Opera intermezzo|Part]] 1 – dressing room''


Uberto, an elderly bachelor, is angry and impatient with his maidservant, Serpina, because she has not brought him his [[chocolate]] today. Serpina has become so arrogant that she thinks she is the mistress of the household. Indeed, when Uberto calls for his hat, wig and coat, Serpina forbids him from leaving the house, adding that from then on he will have to obey her orders. Uberto thereupon orders Vespone to find him a woman to marry so that he can rid himself of Serpina.
Uberto, an elderly bachelor, is angry and impatient with his maidservant, Serpina, because she has not brought him his [[chocolate]] today. Serpina has become so arrogant that she thinks she is the mistress of the household. Indeed, when Uberto calls for his hat, wig and coat, Serpina forbids him to leave the house, adding that from then on he will have to obey her orders. Uberto thereupon orders Vespone to find him a woman to marry so that he can rid himself of Serpina.


''Part 2 – same dressing room''
''Part 2 – same dressing room''
Line 67: Line 68:
The scores of the opera vary. [[Edwin F. Kalmus]] has one with massive omissions, wrong notes, and much spoken dialogue. [[Boosey & Hawkes]] has the score in an [[operetta]] adaptation by [[Seymour Barab]], with highly simplified accompaniment and much spoken dialogue. [[Casa Ricordi]] presents the opera as sung through; it is the version most used. [[W. W. Norton & Company]] includes excerpts of the full score (for strings and [[Figured bass|continuo]]) that have numerous melodic differences from the Ricordi edition but correlate with the recording with [[Siegmund Nimsgern]].<ref>Palisca, pp. 1–15</ref>
The scores of the opera vary. [[Edwin F. Kalmus]] has one with massive omissions, wrong notes, and much spoken dialogue. [[Boosey & Hawkes]] has the score in an [[operetta]] adaptation by [[Seymour Barab]], with highly simplified accompaniment and much spoken dialogue. [[Casa Ricordi]] presents the opera as sung through; it is the version most used. [[W. W. Norton & Company]] includes excerpts of the full score (for strings and [[Figured bass|continuo]]) that have numerous melodic differences from the Ricordi edition but correlate with the recording with [[Siegmund Nimsgern]].<ref>Palisca, pp. 1–15</ref>


==Recordings==
==Recordings and films==
*Simonetto/Tuccari/[[Sesto Bruscantini]], live in Capri, 1948, Cetra
*Simonetto/Tuccari/[[Sesto Bruscantini]], live in Capri, 1948, Cetra
*Pedrollo/Erato/Bacci, 1949, Polydor Vox
*Pedrollo/Erato/Bacci, 1949, Polydor Vox
Line 73: Line 74:
*[[Ferdinand Leitner]]/Mazzoleni/Cortis, 1955, Archiv
*[[Ferdinand Leitner]]/Mazzoleni/Cortis, 1955, Archiv
*Serra-G/Colorni/Rovetta, 1956, RCA
*Serra-G/Colorni/Rovetta, 1956, RCA
*Ferrara/[[Anna Moffo]]/[[Paolo Montarsolo]], 1958 Lanfranchi movie, View Video (label)
*FILM: Ferrara/[[Anna Moffo]]/[[Paolo Montarsolo]], 1958 [[Mario Lanfranchi]] movie, View Video (label)
*[[Virginia Zeani]] opposite her husband Rossi-Lemeni conducted by Singer, 1959, Vox
*[[Virginia Zeani]] opposite her husband Rossi-Lemeni conducted by Singer, 1959, Vox
*[[Renata Scotto]] and Bruscantini conducted by Fasano, 1960, Ricordi
*[[Renata Scotto]] and Bruscantini conducted by Fasano, 1960, Ricordi
*[[Mariella Adani]] and Leonardi Monreale, Pomeriggi Musicali del Teatro Nuovo di Milano, [[Ettore Gracis]] conducting, 1960, Club Français du Disque; later [[Nonesuch Records]] H-71043
*[[Mariella Adani]] and Leonardi Monreale, Pomeriggi Musicali del Teatro Nuovo di Milano, [[Ettore Gracis]] conducting, 1960, Club Français du Disque; later [[Nonesuch Records]] H-71043
*Bugeanu/Petrescu-Cironeanu/Rintzler, 1961, [[Electrecord]]
*Bugeanu/Petrescu-Cironeanu/Rintzler, 1961, [[Electrecord]]
⚫
*FILM: Australian TV movie with [[June Bronhill]], 1962<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=-ZBVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=w5YDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6939%2C200232 Program listing], [[ABV (TV station)|ABV Channel 2]], listed at 8:30, in the 1 November 1962 edition of ''[[The Age]]'', via Google News Archive</ref><
*Maier/Bonifaccio/[[Siegmund Nimsgern]] and the [[Collegium Aureum]], 1969, [[BASF]]; later Deutsche Harmonia Mundi
*Maier/Bonifaccio/[[Siegmund Nimsgern]] and the [[Collegium Aureum]], 1969, [[BASF]]; later Deutsche Harmonia Mundi
*Koch-H/Miljaković/Süß, 1970, [[Telefunken]]
*Koch-H/Miljaković/Süß, 1970, [[Telefunken]]
Line 83: Line 85:
*[[Alberto Zedda]]/Celine/Bruscantini, 1974, Vedette Quadrifoglio
*[[Alberto Zedda]]/Celine/Bruscantini, 1974, Vedette Quadrifoglio
*Gordana Minov-Jevtović and Nikola Mitić, 1976, PGP RTB
*Gordana Minov-Jevtović and Nikola Mitić, 1976, PGP RTB
*Németh/Katalin Farkas/[[József Gregor]] and the [[Capella Savaria]], 1985, [[Hungaroton]]
*Németh/[[Katalin Farkas (soprano)|Katalin Farkas]]/[[József Gregor]] and the [[Capella Savaria]], 1985, [[Hungaroton]]
⚫
*FILM: [[Sigiswald Kuijken]]/Patricia Biccirè/Donato di Stefano and [[La Petite Bande]], live in Brussels, 1986, Accent ACC 96123 D and TDK DVD (Released on DVD in 1998)
*Palmer-R/[[Julianne Baird]]/John Ostendorf, 1989, Omega
*Palmer-R/[[Julianne Baird]]/John Ostendorf, 1989, Omega
*Hirsch/Bima/Salomaa, live in Waldkirch, 1990, Arts (label)
*Hirsch/Bima/Salomaa, live in Waldkirch, 1990, Arts (label)
*Mason/Bunning/Donnelly, 1992, [[Meridian Records]]
*Mason/Bunning/Donnelly, 1992, [[Meridian Records]]
*Bezzina/[[Isabelle Poulenard]]/Cantor, 1995, [[Pierre Verany]]
*Bezzina/[[Isabelle Poulenard]]/Cantor, 1995, [[Pierre Verany]]
⚫
*FILM: Magnani/Sylvia Klein/José Carlos Leal, 1997 [[Carla Camurati]] movie, Elimar Produções Artisticas, Brazil
⚫
*[[Sigiswald Kuijken]]/Patricia Biccirè/Donato di Stefano and [[La Petite Bande]], live in Brussels, 1996, Accent ACC 96123 D and TDK DVD
⚫
*Magnani/Klein/Leal, 1997 Camurati movie, Elimar Produções Artisticas
*Marcello Panni/Scano/de Simone, live in Jesi, 1997, Bongiovanni
*Marcello Panni/Scano/de Simone, live in Jesi, 1997, Bongiovanni
*Gustav Kuhn/Antonucci-P/di Stefano-D, live in Jesi, 1998, Arte Nova
*[[Gustav Kuhn]]/Antonucci-P/di Stefano-D, live in Jesi, 1998, Arte Nova
*Clemente/Cozzoli/Govi, live in Bitonto, 1999, Kicco Classics
*Clemente/Cozzoli/Govi, live in Bitonto, 1999, Kicco Classics
*Dallara/Zanello/Govi, 2006, [[Tactus Records]]
*Dallara/Zanello/Govi, 2006, [[Tactus Records]]
*[[Diego Fasolis]]/[[Sonya Yoncheva]]/Furio Zanasi, 2008 Swiss TV movie
*FILM: [[Diego Fasolis]]/[[Sonya Yoncheva]]/Furio Zanasi, 2008 Swiss TV movie
*Deliso/Zyatkova/Torriani, 2011, Da Vinci
*Deliso/Zyatkova/Torriani, 2011, Da Vinci
*Rovaris/Marianelli/Lepore, filmed in Jesi, 2011, [[Arthaus]]
*FILM: Rovaris/Marianelli/Lepore, filmed in Jesi, 2011, [[Arthaus]]
*Scogna/Nisi/Benetti, 2013, [[Tactus Records]]
*Scogna/Nisi/Benetti, 2013, [[Tactus Records]]
*Scogna/Liuzzi/di Gioia, 2017, [[Brilliant Classics]]
*Scogna/Liuzzi/di Gioia, 2017, [[Brilliant Classics]]

==Film versions==
* Italian director [[Mario Lanfranchi]] made an opera-film version in 1958 with [[Anna Moffo]], [[Paolo Montarsolo]], and [[Giancarlo Cobelli]].<ref>{{IMDb title|tt0496163|La serva padrona|(1962)}}</ref>
⚫
* An Australian TV version with [[June Bronhill]] aired in 1962.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=-ZBVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=w5YDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6939%2C200232 Program listing], [[ABV (TV station)|ABV Channel 2]], listed at 8:30, in the 1 November 1962 edition of ''[[The Age]]'', via Google News Archive</ref><ref>{{IMDb title|tt7014062|La serva padrona|(1962 TV)}}</ref>
* Brazilian director [[Carla Camurati]] made a [[feature film]] version in 1999 with [[Sylvia Klein]] (Serpina), [[José Carlos Leal]] (Uberto) and [[Thales Pan Chacon]] (Vespone).<ref>{{IMDb title|tt0166342|La serva padrona|(1999)}}</ref>


==References==
==References==
Line 110: Line 107:


'''Sources'''
'''Sources'''
* [[Donald Jay Grout|Grout, Donald Jay]] and Hermine Weigel Williams (2003), [https://books.google.com/books?id=l_b2vIXHsUkC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Il+prigioniero+superbo++Pergolesi#PPA232,M1 ''A Short History of Opera''], Columbia University Press, pp.&nbsp;229–232. {{ISBN|0-231-11958-5}}
* [[Donald Jay Grout|Grout, Donald Jay]] and Hermine Weigel Williams (2003), [https://books.google.com/books?id=l_b2vIXHsUkC&q=Il+prigioniero+superbo++Pergolesi&pg=PA232 ''A Short History of Opera''], Columbia University Press, pp.&nbsp;229–232. {{ISBN|0-231-11958-5}}
* [[Claude V. Palisca|Palisca, Claude V.]] ''Norton Anthology of Western Music: Volume 2: Classic to Modern''. New York: W. W. Norton, 2001 {{ISBN|0-393-97691-2}}
* [[Claude V. Palisca|Palisca, Claude V.]] ''Norton Anthology of Western Music: Volume 2: Classic to Modern''. New York: W. W. Norton, 2001 {{ISBN|0-393-97691-2}}
* [[John Warrack|Warrack, John]] and Ewan West (1992) ''The Oxford Dictionary of Opera''. {{ISBN|0-19-869164-5}}
* [[John Warrack|Warrack, John]] and Ewan West (1992) ''The Oxford Dictionary of Opera''. {{ISBN|0-19-869164-5}}
Line 123: Line 120:
|publisher=Bayerische StaatsBibliothek digital
|publisher=Bayerische StaatsBibliothek digital
|location=Bologna
|location=Bologna
|url=http://reader.digitale-sammlungen.de/en/fs1/object/display/bsb11016591_00001.html
|url=https://www.digitale-sammlungen.de/en/view/bsb11016591?page=1
|accessdate=13 January 2013
|access-date=13 January 2013|ref=none
}}
}}
*{{cite web
*{{cite web
Line 132: Line 129:
|url=http://www.librettidopera.it/servapad/pdf.html
|url=http://www.librettidopera.it/servapad/pdf.html
|publisher=www.librettidopera.it
|publisher=www.librettidopera.it
|accessdate=13 January 2013
|access-date=13 January 2013|ref=none
}}
}}


Line 139: Line 136:
|last=Pergolesi
|last=Pergolesi
|first=Giovanni Battista
|first=Giovanni Battista
|title=La serva padrona. Intermezzo del Signore Giovanni Battista Pergolese rapresentato in Pariggi nell' Autunno 1757
|title=La serva padrona. Intermezzo del Signore Giovanni Battista Pergolese rappresentato in Pariggi nell' Autunno 1757
|url=https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc29/
|url=https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc29/
|publisher=Radicciotti-Cherbuliez
|publisher=Radicciotti-Cherbuliez
|edition=1805 by Auguste Le Duc, reprint
|edition=1805 by Auguste Le Duc, reprint
|accessdate=13 January 2013
|access-date=13 January 2013
|authorlink=Giovanni Battista Pergolesi
|author-link=Giovanni Battista Pergolesi
|location=Paris
|location=Paris
|year=1757
|year=1757|ref=none
}} at [[University of North Texas]]
}} at [[University of North Texas]]
*{{IMSLP|work=La serva padrona (Pergolesi, Giovanni Battista)|cname=''La serva padrona''}}
*{{IMSLP|work=La serva padrona (Pergolesi, Giovanni Battista)|cname=''La serva padrona''}}
Line 161: Line 158:
[[Category:1733 operas]]
[[Category:1733 operas]]
[[Category:Operas by Giovanni Battista Pergolesi]]
[[Category:Operas by Giovanni Battista Pergolesi]]
[[Category:Works about servants]]

Latest revision as of 11:03, 19 October 2024

La serva padrona
Opera buffa by G. B. Pergolesi
Title page of a vintage opera program
DescriptionIntermezzo
TranslationThe Maid Turned Mistress
LibrettistGennaro Federico
LanguageItalian
Based onLa serva padrona
by Jacopo Angello Nelli
Premiere
5 September 1733 (1733-09-05)
Teatro San Bartolomeo, Naples

La serva padrona (The Maid Turned Mistress) is a 1733 intermezzo by Giovanni Battista Pergolesi (1710–1736) to a libretto by Gennaro Federico, after the play by Jacopo Angello Nelli. It is some 40 minutes long, in two parts without overture, and was written as light-hearted staged entertainment between the acts of Pergolesi's serious opera Il prigionier superbo. More specifically each of the two parts, set in the same dressing room, played during an intermission of the three-act opera to amuse people who remained in their seats.

Federico's libretto was also set by Giovanni Paisiello, in 1781.

Performance history

[edit]

La serva padrona and the opera seria it punctuates were premiered at the Teatro San Bartolomeo on 6 September 1733, the first performances there after an earthquake the previous year in Naples had closed all theatres. Both were written for the birthday of Holy Roman Empress Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel a few days earlier.[1]

Il prigioniero superbo was unsuccessful in its day[2] but has been staged in the composer's home town of Jesi several times and recorded there in 1997, 1998 and 2009, being filmed during the latter year. But La serva padrona was an immediate hit and became its own stand-alone work. Audiences found it appealing for its relatable characters: wily maid versus aging master. More significantly it became a model for the opera buffa genre and a quintessential piece bridging the Baroque and the Classical periods. With a new finale its French version provided the catalyst for the infamous Querelle des Bouffons.

Roles

[edit]
Role Voice type Premiere cast[3]
5 September 1733
Uberto, an old man buffo bass Gioacchino Corrado
Serpina, his maid soprano Laura Monti
Vespone, his servant silent actor

Synopsis

[edit]
Catherine Nelidova as Serpina (by Dmitry Levitzky, 1773)

Part 1 – dressing room

Uberto, an elderly bachelor, is angry and impatient with his maidservant, Serpina, because she has not brought him his chocolate today. Serpina has become so arrogant that she thinks she is the mistress of the household. Indeed, when Uberto calls for his hat, wig and coat, Serpina forbids him to leave the house, adding that from then on he will have to obey her orders. Uberto thereupon orders Vespone to find him a woman to marry so that he can rid himself of Serpina.

Part 2 – same dressing room

Serpina convinces Vespone to trick Uberto into marrying her. She informs Uberto that she is to marry a military man named Tempesta. She will be leaving his home and apologizes for her behavior. Vespone, disguised as Tempesta, arrives and, without saying a word, demands 4,000 crowns for a dowry. Uberto refuses to pay such a sum. Tempesta threatens him to either pay the dowry or marry the girl himself. Uberto agrees to marry Serpina. Serpina and Vespone reveal their trick; but Uberto realizes that he has loved the girl all along. They will marry after all; and Serpina will now be the true mistress of the household.

Musical numbers

[edit]
Part 1
  • Aria: Aspettare e non venire (Uberto)
  • Recitativo: Quest'è per me disgrazia (Uberto, Serpina)
  • Aria: Sempre in contrasti (Uberto)
  • Recitativo: In somma delle somme (Serpina, Uberto)
  • Aria: Stizzoso, mio stizzoso (Serpina)
  • Recitativo: Benissimo. Hai tu inteso? (Uberto, Serpina)
  • Duetto: Lo conosco a quegli occhietti (Serpina, Uberto)
Part 2
  • Recitativo: Or che fatto ti sei (Serpina, Uberto)
  • Aria: A Serpina penserete (Serpina)
  • Recitativo: Ah! quanto mi sa male (Uberto, Serpina)
  • Aria: Son imbrogliato io già (Uberto)
  • Recitativo: Favorisca, signor, passi (Serpina, Uberto)
  • Duetto finale (†): Contento tu sarai (Serpina, Uberto)

(†It later became customary to replace this final duet with another: Per te ho io nel core. This the composer wrote two years later, in 1735, for his commedia per musica, Il Flaminio.)

Scores

[edit]

The scores of the opera vary. Edwin F. Kalmus has one with massive omissions, wrong notes, and much spoken dialogue. Boosey & Hawkes has the score in an operetta adaptation by Seymour Barab, with highly simplified accompaniment and much spoken dialogue. Casa Ricordi presents the opera as sung through; it is the version most used. W. W. Norton & Company includes excerpts of the full score (for strings and continuo) that have numerous melodic differences from the Ricordi edition but correlate with the recording with Siegmund Nimsgern.[4]

Recordings and films

[edit]

References

[edit]

Notes

  1. ^ "Prigioniero superbo, Il" by Dale E. Monson, Grove Music Online
  2. ^ Grout and Williams (2003), p. 232
  3. ^ Casaglia, Gherardo (2005). "La serva padrona, 5 September 1733". L'Almanacco di Gherardo Casaglia (in Italian).
  4. ^ Palisca, pp. 1–15
  5. ^ Program listing, ABV Channel 2, listed at 8:30, in the 1 November 1962 edition of The Age, via Google News Archive

Sources

  • Grout, Donald Jay and Hermine Weigel Williams (2003), A Short History of Opera, Columbia University Press, pp. 229–232. ISBN 0-231-11958-5
  • Palisca, Claude V. Norton Anthology of Western Music: Volume 2: Classic to Modern. New York: W. W. Norton, 2001 ISBN 0-393-97691-2
  • Warrack, John and Ewan West (1992) The Oxford Dictionary of Opera. ISBN 0-19-869164-5
[edit]

Librettos

[edit]

Scores

[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=La_serva_padrona&oldid=1252024427"