''L'avaro'' ("The Miser"), is an opera (''

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 composed 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

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 ...

Giovanni Bertati Giovanni Bertati (10 July 1735 – 1 March 1815) was an Italian librettist. Bertati was born in Martellago, Italy. In 1763, he wrote his first libretto, ''La morte di Dimone'' ("The Death of Dimone"), set to music by Antonio Tozzi. Two years later ...

is based on

Molière Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (, ; 15 January 1622 (baptised) – 17 February 1673), known by his stage name Molière (, , ), was a French playwright, actor, and poet, widely regarded as one of the greatest writers in the French language and world ...

's 17th-century comedy ''

The Miser ''The Miser'' (french: L'Avare; ; also known by the longer name ''L'Avare ou L'École du Mensonge,'' meaning The Miser, or the School for Lies) is a five-act comedy in prose by the French playwright Molière. It was first performed on September 9 ...

''. Considered one of Anfossi's best operas, it premiered 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 season of 1775 and was subsequently performed throughout Italy and in other European cities.

Background and performance history

Anfossi was a prolific composer. ''L'avaro'' was the 25th of his 70 or more operas and one of the three which he had composed for the 1775 season at Venice's

. His librettist Giovanni Bertati was equally prolific, having written at least 70 libretti in his lifetime, almost all of them in the ''

'' genre. The premiere production of ''L'avaro'' had sets designed by Domenico and Gerolamo Mauri and costumes by Giuseppe Tadio. The performance was accompanied by a ballet, ''La serenata interrotta, o sia Il triplice matrimonio'' ("The Serenade Interrupted, or The Triple Wedding") with music by Francesco Piombanti and choreography by

Antoine Pitrot Antoine-Bonaventure Pitrot (31 March 1727, in Marseille – after 1792), known as Pitrot aîné (''Pitrot the elder''), was a French dancer, choreographer and ballet master. He was the elder brother of Jean-Baptiste Pitrot, and their father Barth ...

The opera proved to be one of Anfossi's most successful works and continued to be staged in its original Italian well into the 19th century. It was performed throughout Italy as well as in Germany, Austria, Denmark, Spain, Belgium, France, and England. The London premiere took place in 1783 at the King's Theatre where Anfossi had been engaged as the

music director A music(al) director or director of music is the person responsible for the musical aspects of a performance, production, or organization. This would include the artistic director and usually chief conductor of an orchestra or concert band, the d ...

and was presented in a two-act version. The opera was performed in

Hanover Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-largest city in Northern Germany ...

and

Bad Pyrmont Bad Pyrmont (, also: ; West Low German: ) is a town in the district of Hamelin-Pyrmont, in Lower Saxony, Germany, with a population close to 19,000. It is located on the river Emmer, about west of the Weser. Bad Pyrmont is a popular spa resort ...

in 1790 using a German translation of the libretto entitled ''Der Geizige oder Die Liebe ist sinnreich'' ("The Miser, or Love is Ingenious"). There was a French version entitled ''Le Tuteur avare'' ("The Miserly Tutor") with a very freely adapted libretto by Jean-Louis Gabiot and additional music composed by Giuseppe Maria Cambini. It premiered at the Théâtre des Beaujolais in Paris in 1787 and was later performed in Versailles and Lieges. Another freely adapted libretto, this time in Spanish and written by Luciano Comella, was used for performances in Madrid in 1796 under the title ''El avaro''. ''L'avaro'' in the original Italian has also been performed under a variety of other titles including: ''Il tesoro immaginario'' ("The Imaginary Treasure"),

Brescia Brescia (, locally ; lmo, link=no, label= Lombard, Brèsa ; lat, Brixia; vec, Bressa) is a city and ''comune'' in the region of Lombardy, Northern Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, a few kilometers from the lakes Garda and Iseo. ...

, 1779; ''Il sordo e l'avaro'' ("The Deaf Man and the Miser"), Brunswick, 1782; and ''I due avari'' ("The Two Misers"),

Frankfurt Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , "Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its na ...

, 1783.Libretti d'opera
Notes to libretto 382: ''L'avaro''
.

Università degli Studi di Padova The University of Padua ( it, Università degli Studi di Padova, UNIPD) is an Italian university located in the city of Padua, region of Veneto, northern Italy. The University of Padua was founded in 1222 by a group of students and teachers from B ...

. Retrieved 17 December 2014 . The alternative title, ''La fedeltà nell'angustie'' ("Fidelity Amidst Distress"), is sometimes listed for a performance in Florence in 1777 at the

Teatro della Pergola The Teatro della Pergola is an historic opera house in Florence, Italy. It is located in the centre of the city on the Via della Pergola, from which the theatre takes its name. It was built in 1656 under the patronage of Cardinal Gian Carlo de' Med ...

, but later research indicates that it was more likely to have been a revival of Anfossi's ''La finta giardiniera''. The title on a manuscript score dated 1775 and held in the

Saxon State and University Library Dresden The Saxon State and University Library Dresden (full name in german: Sächsische Landesbibliothek – Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek Dresden), abbreviated SLUB Dresden, is located in Dresden, Germany. It is both the regional library (german: ...

is given as ''Il vecchio avaro'' ("The Old Miser"). Bertati's libretto for ''L'avaro'' was subsequently set by several other composers including

Gennaro Astarita Gennaro Astarita (also spelled Astaritta) (c.1745–49 – 18 December 1805) was an Italian composer, mainly of operas. The place of his birth is unknown, although he was active in Naples for many years. He began his operatic career in 1765, coll ...

(1776, Teatro Bonacossi, Ferrara) and

Ferdinando Orlandi Ferdinando Orlandi (7 October 1774 – 5 January 1848), also referred to as Orland and Orlando. Little is known of his early life and his year of birth is also cited as 1777. He was an Italian musician and teacher of singing who composed cantatas ...

(1801, Teatro Marsigli-Rossi, Bologna). A different libretto by Giuseppe Palomba, also titled ''L'avaro'' and likewise based on the Molière play, was set by

Giacomo Cordella Giacomo Cordella (Naples, 25 July 1786 – Naples, 8 May 1847) was an Italian composer. Biography Cordella studied in Naples with Fedele Fenaroli and Giovanni Paisiello. In 1804 he composed his first work, a cantata entitled ''La Vittoria dell' ...

and premiered in 1814 at the Teatro de' Fiorentini, Naples.Libretti d'opera
Notes to libretto 4621: ''L'avaro''
.

. Retrieved 17 December 2014 .

Roles

References

External links

*Anfossi, Pasquale
''Il vecchio avaro''
(complete manuscript score dated 1775, held the

and published at the

International Music Score Library Project The International Music Score Library Project (IMSLP), also known as the Petrucci Music Library after publisher Ottaviano Petrucci, is a subscription-based digital library of public-domain music scores. The project, which uses MediaWiki software ...

) *Bertati, Giovanni
''L'avaro''
(complete libretto in the original Italian published for a performance at the Teatro Nuovo sopra Toledo, Naples in 1779) *Gabiot, Jean-Louis
''Le Tuteur avare''
(complete libretto of a French adaptation of the opera, published for a 1787 performance in Paris) {{DEFAULTSORT:Avaro 1775 operas Italian-language operas Operas by Pasquale Anfossi Drammi giocosi Operas Operas based on works by Molière

Background and performance history

Roles

See also

References

External links