The Last Troubadours: Poetic Drama in Italian Opera, 1597-1887

ISBN: 9781138365124 (1138365122)
Edition Type: Hardback
Publisher: Routledge
Pages: 252
Date Published: 28th Nov 2018
Series: Routledge Library Editions

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List of Illustrations
Introduction
Acknowledgements
Part One: Baroque, Arcadian and Enlightenment Influences
1. Aristocratic Beginnings in Florence, Mantua and Rome 2. Popular Success and Maturity in Venice: Busenello, Badoaro and Cicognini 3. Innovation and Reform: Zeno, Metastasio and Calzabigi 4. Of Servants and Masters: Federico, Goldoni and Da Ponte
Part Two: The Expression of Individualism
5. A Cry for Freedom: High Priests and Patriots 6. Of Reason and Delirium 7. Jester, Troubadour and Courtesan 8. The Devil's Advocate: Evil in the Works of Arrigo Boito
Notes
Select Bibliography
Index

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First published in 1991. At once poet, dramatist, adaptor and translator, the operatic librettist in turn expresses and mocks social convention. Deirdre O'Grady's study of the Italian operatic librettist identifies opera as a mirror of literary climates, popular taste and political aspirations. The Last Troubadours traces the history of the Italian libretto from its courtly origin in the 16th century, through the crisis of the aristocracy and the 19th-century struggle for national unity, to the birth of social realism. Fundamental elements of Italian opera - heroic valour, cunning servants, revolutionary ardour and romantic tenderness - are considered in their historical and cultural context. Also discussed are famous lyrical and musical collaborations - of Da Ponte and Mozart, Solera and Verdi, Romani and Bellini, and Boito and Verdi.

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