''Totila'' is an opera by
Giovanni Legrenzi
Giovanni Legrenzi (baptized August 12, 1626 – May 27, 1690) was an Italian composer of opera, vocal and instrumental music, and organist, of the Baroque era. He was one of the most prominent composers in Venice in the late 17th century, and ext ...
, written in 1677 to a libretto by
Matteo Noris NGOs are an effective source of change and could be much more effective than governmental plans alone. Non federal government institutions typically take initiatives for delivering social adjustment in our society. Our agency is actually one-stop re ...
and first performed at the
Teatro Santi Giovanni e Paolo
The Teatro Santi Giovanni e Paolo (often written as Teatro SS. Giovanni e Paolo) was a theatre and opera house in Venice located on the Calle della Testa, and takes its name from the nearby Basilica of Santi Giovanni e Paolo, Venice. Built by the ...
in
Venice
Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...
.
Another opera called ”Totila in Roma”, based on the same libretto, was written by
Francesco Gasparini
Francesco Gasparini (19 March 1661 – 22 March 1727) was an Italian Baroque composer and teacher whose works were performed throughout Italy, and also on occasion in Germany and England.
Biography
Born in Camaiore, near Lucca, he studied in ...
and first performed at the
Teatro Santa Cecilia in
Palermo
Palermo ( , ; scn, Palermu , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan ...
Roles
The singing roles in the opera are: Belisario (
tenor
A tenor is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The lo ...
), Cinna (tenor), Clelia (
soprano
A soprano () is a type of classical female singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hz to "high A" (A5) = 880&n ...
), Desbo (
alto
The musical term alto, meaning "high" in Italian (Latin: ''altus''), historically refers to the contrapuntal part higher than the tenor and its associated vocal range. In 4-part voice leading alto is the second-highest part, sung in choruses by ...
), Floro (soprano), first Isaurian (soprano), second Isaurian (alto), Lepidus (soprano), Marzia (soprano), Publicola (alto), Servio (
bass
Bass or Basses may refer to:
Fish
* Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species
Music
* Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range:
** Bass (instrument), including:
** Acoustic bass gui ...
), Theodatus (bass), Totila (soprano), Vitige (
mezzo-soprano
A mezzo-soprano or mezzo (; ; meaning "half soprano") is a type of classical female singing voice whose vocal range lies between the soprano and the contralto voice types. The mezzo-soprano's vocal range usually extends from the A below middle C ...
).
Plot
The action is set in the
Gothic Wars
The Gothic Wars were a long series of conflicts between the Goths and the Roman Empire between the years 249 and 554. The main wars are detailed below.
Gothic War (249–253)
(Goths under Cniva against the Roman Empire)
The War was probably in ...
and is based on the conflict between king
Totila
Totila, original name Baduila (died 1 July 552), was the penultimate King of the Ostrogoths, reigning from 541 to 552 AD. A skilled military and political leader, Totila reversed the tide of the Gothic War, recovering by 543 almost all the t ...
of the
Ostrogoths
The Ostrogoths ( la, Ostrogothi, Austrogothi) were a Roman-era Germanic peoples, Germanic people. In the 5th century, they followed the Visigoths in creating one of the two great Goths, Gothic kingdoms within the Roman Empire, based upon the larg ...
and the Byzantine general
Belisarius
Belisarius (; el, Βελισάριος; The exact date of his birth is unknown. – 565) was a military commander of the Byzantine Empire under the emperor Justinian I. He was instrumental in the reconquest of much of the Mediterranean terri ...
. In reality Totila sacked Rome twice, in
546
__NOTOC__
Year 546 ( DXLVI) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 546 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era b ...
and again in
550
__NOTOC__
Year 550 ( DL) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 550 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era ...
but the libretto is not specific about whether the action is meant to take place in either of these two events or in an amalgam of them.
In the first act, set in Rome under siege, Clelia, wife of the consul Publicola, plans to resist Vitige and shows that she is willing to kill her sleeping child to prevent him falling into the hands of the invaders and then to commit suicide. There is a spectacular scene in which the Goths put Rome to the torch. Marzia throws herself from a window and falls into the arms of Totila, who falls in love with her and has her father senator Servius arrested. A comic interlude follows in which the servant Desbo mistakenly informs Publicola that Clelia is dead; he then loses his mind and rails against poor Desbo, who tries to defend herself. Clelia, meanwhile, has decided to offer herself to Vitige in return for her freedom, but he is moved to spare her. The first act ends with spectacular stage effects as a trumpet sounds, a giant elephant opens, and Belisario, Lepido and Cinna come out.
The second act opens with a scene of Publicola’s melancholy and madness. Another scene depicts Marzia boarding Totila's ship. The woman makes fun of Totila but when he tries to kiss her, she rejects him. Totila, furious, then has Marzia bound to a ship's mast. Belisario and Lepido arrive and battle with Totila as a storm rages. Totila’s ship sinks and Marzia is rescued by Lepidus. Clelia, disguised as a soldier, challenges Vitige to a duel but he recognizes her and declares his love; she rejects him again. Belisario imprisons Vitige and frees Servius, while Totila is believed to be dead.
In the third act Totila, in disguise, orders Vitige to kill Belisario but he refuses, moved by the general's magnanimity. Publicola and Desbo appear in another comic interlude: in his delusion Publicola mistakes Desbo for Narciso and tries to seduce him. Desbo escapes, pursued by Publicola who, armed with a bow, wounds Totila. Belisarius arrives but, instead of killing Totila, helps him. Clelia and Publicola reunite, while Belisario and Lepido declare themselves willing to renounce their love for Marzia, if Totila will become a vassal of Giustiniano.
Music
Legrenzi’s writing for the opera has several noteworthy points, including the expression of jealousy through the juxtaposition of a constant bass overlapping with a slower-moving vocal line, and the use of trumpet arias as well as vocal imitations of them to reflect the military setting of the action. He also managed to include elements of comedy within an
opera seria
''Opera seria'' (; plural: ''opere serie''; usually called ''dramma per musica'' or ''melodramma serio'') is an Italian musical term which refers to the noble and "serious" style of Italian opera that predominated in Europe from the 1710s to abo ...
.
Legrenzi’s music depicts the four leading roles as distinctive types. Belisarius embodies generosity and magnanimity and his arias are heroic in character while Totila, his opposite, is prone to violence. The delineation of the female lead roles is similarly clear. Clelia’s conduct is unwaveringly moral; in contrast Marzia makes fun of Totila and mocks her own destiny, but eventually surrenders to both.
External links
electronic version of original libretto
References
{{Giovanni Legrenzi
Operas by Giovanni Legrenzi
Italian-language operas
1677 operas
Operas