''La vera costanza'' ("True Constancy"), is an
opera
Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...
tic
dramma giocoso
''Dramma giocoso'' (Italian, literally: drama with jokes; plural: ''drammi giocosi'') is a genre of opera common in the mid-18th century. The term is a contraction of ''dramma giocoso per musica'' and describes the opera's libretto (text). The ge ...
in three acts by
Pasquale Anfossi
Pasquale Anfossi (5 April 1727 – February 1797) was an Italian opera composer. Born in Taggia, Liguria, he studied with Niccolò Piccinni and Antonio Sacchini, and worked mainly in London, Venice and Rome.
He wrote more than 80 operas, both ...
. The
comédie larmoyante
Comédie larmoyante () was a genre of French drama of the 18th century. In this type of sentimental comedy, the impending tragedy was resolved at the end, amid reconciliations and floods of tears. Plays of this genre that ended unhappily never ...
-influenced
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
libretto
A libretto (Italian for "booklet") is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the t ...
was by Francesco Puttini. The opera preceded
Joseph Haydn
Franz Joseph Haydn ( , ; 31 March 173231 May 1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. He was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the string quartet and piano trio. His contributions ...
's
better known setting of the same libretto by three years.
Performance history
The work was first performed on 2 January 1776 at the
Teatro delle Dame
The Teatro delle Dame, also known as the Teatro Alibert (its original name), was a theatre in Rome built in 1718 and located on what is now the corner of Via D'Alibert and Via Margutta. In the course of its history it underwent a series of reconstr ...
, Rome. It was successful and performed widely throughout Europe during the following two decades.
Roles
Synopsis
:See
synopsis of the Haydn opera.
See also
*Anfossi's operas ''
L'avaro
''The Miser'' ( it, L'avaro) is a 1990 Italian comedy film directed by Tonino Cervi. It is a loose adaptation of Molière's comedy ''The Miser''.
Plot
The rich and miserly Don Arpagone lives his days following precise patterns and commanding ...
'' and ''
Il curioso indiscreto''
*
Complete list of Anfossi's operas
Sources
*Hunter, Mary (1992), 'Vera costanza, La (i)' in ''The
New Grove Dictionary of Opera
''The New Grove Dictionary of Opera'' is an encyclopedia of opera, considered to be one of the best general reference sources on the subject. It is the largest work on opera in English, and in its printed form, amounts to 5,448 pages in four volu ...
'', ed. Stanley Sadie (London)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vera costanza, La
Operas
Drammi giocosi
Italian-language operas
1776 operas
Operas by Pasquale Anfossi