''Le cantatrici villane'' (''The Boorish Singers'') is a comic opera (''dramma giocoso'') in two acts composed by Valentino Fioravanti to a libretto by Giuseppe Palomba. It was first performed in Naples in 1799. A revised one act version premiered at the Teatro San Moisè in Venice as ''Le virtuose ridicole'' in 1801. An opera by Antonio Cagnoni based on the same libretto and entitled ''Don Bucefalo'' premiered in Milan in 1847.

Roles

* Rosa, ''a peasant believed to be a widow'' (soprano)Roles and voice types based on Gelli (2007b) * Agata, ''a peasant'' (soprano) * Giannetta, ''a peasant'' (soprano) * Don Bucefalo, ''a timid and ignorant choirmaster'' (Bass (vocal range), bass) * Don Marco, ''a well-to-do student of Don Bucefalo and in love with Rosa'' (bass) * Carlino, ''a young soldier who has disappeared in Spain and husband of Rosa'' (tenor) * Giansimone, ''a waiter in the local inn'' (tenor)

Synopsis

The action takes place in 18th century Casoria, a village near Naples. Three country wenches (Agata, Giannetta and Rosa) have aspiration to become bel canto virtuose with the help of an ignorant choirmaster (Don Bucefalo) and another would be singer (Don Marco), but things get complicated with the unexpected return of bragging soldier and Rosa's jealous husband (Carlino).

Discography

* ''Le cantatrice villane'' (1CD) – Alda Noni, Ester Orell, Fernanda Cadoni, Sesto Bruscantini, Franco Calabrese, Agostino Lazzari – Orchestra di Napoli, Mario Rossi (conductor), Mario Rossi – Cetra reissued by Warner-Fonit (1951) * ''Le cantatrici villane'' (complete, 2 hours 15 minutes) Maria Angeles Peters, Giovanna Manci, Floriana Sovilla, Ernesto Palacio Orchestra Sinfonica del Licinio Refice, Roberto Tigani 2000 Bongiovanni

Notes and references

Sources

* Anderson, James (1993). ''The Complete Dictionary of Opera & Operetta''. Wings Books. * * Fornasier, Umberto, ''Cantatrici villane, Le'', in Gelli, Piero & Poletti Filippo eds. (2007). ''Dizionario dell'Opera 2008'', Milan: Baldini Castoldi Dalai, pp. 187–188. * Pessina, Marino, ''Don Bucefalo'', in Gelli, Piero & Poletti Filippo eds. (2007), ''op. cit.'', p. 333 * Polzonetti, Pierpaolo (2011)
''Italian Opera in the Age of the American Revolution''
Cambridge University Press.

External links

Libretto

Vocal scores for two arias from ''Le cantatrici villane''
at the International Music Score Library Project {{DEFAULTSORT:Cantatrici Villane 1799 operas Operas Italian-language operas Opera buffa Operas set in Naples