''La villanella rapita'' (''The Abducted Country Girl'') is an ''opera giocosa'' in two acts by Francesco Bianchi. The

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 Giovanni Bertati.

Performance history

The opera was first performed at the

Teatro San Moisè The Teatro San Moisè was a theatre and opera house in Venice, active from 1620 to 1818. It was in a prominent location near the Palazzo Giustinian and the church of San Moisè at the entrance to the Grand Canal. History Built by the San Bernaba ...

in Venice in the autumn of 1783. It was then given at the

Eszterháza Eszterháza is a palace in Fertőd, Hungary, built by Prince Nikolaus Esterházy. Sometimes called the "Hungarian Versailles", it is Hungary's grandest Rococo edifice. It served as the home to Joseph Haydn and his orchestra from 1760 to 1790. In ...

Theater in Süttör on 29 August 1784. It was also produced at the Little Theatre in the Haymarket in London under on 27 February 1790. A

pasticcio In music, a ''pasticcio'' or ''pastiche'' is an opera or other musical work composed of works by different composers who may or may not have been working together, or an adaptation or localization of an existing work that is loose, unauthorized, o ...

with the same title, with some music by Bianchi as well as

Paisiello Giovanni Paisiello (or Paesiello; 9 May 1740 – 5 June 1816) was an Italian composer of the Classical era, and was the most popular opera composer of the late 1700s. His operatic style influenced Mozart and Rossini. Life Paisiello was born in T ...

, Guglielmi,

Giacomo Gotifredo Ferrari Giacomo Gotifredo Ferrari (baptised 2 April 1763 – 2 December 1842)Di Marco (1996) and Slonimsky and Kuhn (2001) give only the date of baptism. A memorial plaque in Rovereto, Ferrari's birthplace, gives his year of birth as 1763 (see :File:Lapi ...

Sarti The Italian language surname Sarti is derived from the occupation of tailor. Notable people with the surname include: *Adolfo Sarti (1928–1992), Italian Christian Democrat politician *Alessio Sarti (born 1979), Italian football (soccer) goalkee ...

and

Soler Soler may refer to: * Soler Township, Roseau County, Minnesota * Soler (band), Hong Kong based rock band * Soler (grape), French wine grape, also known as Peloursin People with the surname Soler * Alay Soler (born 1979), Cuban baseball player ...

was performed at Théâtre Feydeau in Paris on 5 June 1789.

Mozart additions

Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his ra ...

contributed a vocal quartet, "Dite almeno in che mancai?", K. 479, and a vocal terzet, "Mandina amabile", K. 480, for a performance at the

Burgtheater The Burgtheater (literally:"Castle Theater" but alternatively translated as "(Imperial) Court Theater"), originally known as '' K.K. Theater an der Burg'', then until 1918 as the ''K.K. Hofburgtheater'', is the national theater of Austria in Vi ...

in Vienna on 1785. (The former work was first heard in public on 5 November, and the latter on 28 November.) The singers involved were

Vincenzo Calvesi Vincenzo Calvesi ( fl. 1777–1811) was an Italian operatic tenor and impresario. A skillful lyric tenor, he began his career performing in opera houses in Italy during the 1770s. He was active in Dresden in 1782 to 1783 and then spent most of h ...

(Count), Celeste Coltellini (Mandina), Stefano Mandini (Pippo), and Francesco Bussani (Biaggio), the last named in K. 479 only.

Roles

Synopsis

The count takes a liking to a young bride, Mandina, at her pre-wedding banquet, lures her away from her bridegroom, Pippo, and then abducts her in a drugged state back to his palace. Mandina, after a little experience of upper-class luxuries, eventually establishes her innocence and marries Pippo after all.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Villanella rapita, La Operas by Francesco Bianchi 1783 operas Italian-language operas Operas