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La Favorita: Libretto
Excerpt from La Favorita: The Favorite, a Grand Opera, in Four Acts
Among the many improvements introduced into this edition, may be noticed the plan of printing the original text and the translation on the same page, so that the two, instead of being on opposite pages, appear side by side, and absolutely line by line, - a change which it is hoped, will much facili tate the reading of them simultaneously.
A more decided improvement, is the introduction of the Melodies of the leading pieces a fea ture that enables the opera frequenter to follow the music as well as the words, and thus will add materially, it is confidently hoped, to the gratification derivable from the performance and will also agreeably awaken remembrance at any future time, by bringing back reminiscences of scene and action, that, but for such aid, would be forgotten. The magic in uence of sound, in summoning up the past, is an association that must have been felt by every one.
About the Publisher
Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com
This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works."
Among the many improvements introduced into this edition, may be noticed the plan of printing the original text and the translation on the same page, so that the two, instead of being on opposite pages, appear side by side, and absolutely line by line, - a change which it is hoped, will much facili tate the reading of them simultaneously.
A more decided improvement, is the introduction of the Melodies of the leading pieces a fea ture that enables the opera frequenter to follow the music as well as the words, and thus will add materially, it is confidently hoped, to the gratification derivable from the performance and will also agreeably awaken remembrance at any future time, by bringing back reminiscences of scene and action, that, but for such aid, would be forgotten. The magic in uence of sound, in summoning up the past, is an association that must have been felt by every one.
About the Publisher
Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com
This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works."
44 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 1982
About the author
Gaetano Donizetti
497 books4 followersDomenico Gaetano Maria Donizetti (29 November 1797 – 8 April 1848) was an Italian composer. Along with Gioachino Rossini and Vincenzo Bellini, Donizetti was a leading composer of the bel canto opera style during the first half of the nineteenth century. Donizetti's close association with the bel canto style was undoubtedly an influence on other composers such as Giuseppe Verdi.
Donizetti was born in Bergamo in Lombardy. Although he did not come from a musical background, at an early age he was taken under the wing of composer Simon Mayr who had enrolled him by means of a full scholarship in a school which he had set up. There he received detailed training in the arts of fugue and counterpoint. Mayr was also instrumental in obtaining a place for the young man at the Bologna Academy, where, at the age of 19, he wrote his first one-act opera, the comedy Il Pigmalione, which may never have been performed during his lifetime.
Over the course of his career, Donizetti wrote almost 70 operas. An offer in 1822 from Domenico Barbaja, the impresario of the Teatro di San Carlo in Naples, which followed the composer's ninth opera, led to his move to that city and his residency there which lasted until the production of Caterina Cornaro in January 1844. In all, Naples presented 51 of Donizetti's operas.
Before 1830, success came primarily with his comic operas, the serious ones failing to attract significant audiences. However, his first notable success came with an opera seria, Zoraida di Granata, which was presented in 1822 in Rome. In 1830, when Anna Bolena was premiered, Donizetti made a major impact on the Italian and international opera scene and this shifted the balance of success away from primarily comedic operas, although even after that date, his best-known works included comedies such as L'elisir d'amore (1832) and Don Pasquale (1843). Significant historical dramas did appear and succeed; they included Lucia di Lammermoor (the first to have a libretto written by Salvadore Cammarano) given in Naples in 1835, and one of the most successful Neapolitan operas, Roberto Devereux in 1837. Up to that point, all of his operas had been set to Italian libretti.
Donizetti found himself increasingly chafing against the censorship limitations which existed in Italy (and especially in Naples). From about 1836, he became interested in working in Paris, where he saw much greater freedom to choose subject matter, in addition to receiving larger fees and greater prestige. Starting in 1838 with an offer from the Paris Opéra for two new works, he spent a considerable part of the following ten years in that city, and set several operas to French texts as well as overseeing staging of his Italian works. The first opera was a French version of the then-unperformed Poliuto which, in April 1840, was revised to become Les martyrs. Two new operas were also given in Paris at that time.
As the 1840s progressed, Donizetti moved regularly between Naples, Rome, Paris, and Vienna, continuing to compose and stage his own operas as well as those of other composers. But from around 1843, severe illness began to take hold and to limit his activities. Eventually, by early 1846 he was obliged to be confined to an institution for the mentally ill and, by late 1847, friends had him moved back to Bergamo, where he died in April 1848.
Donizetti was born in Bergamo in Lombardy. Although he did not come from a musical background, at an early age he was taken under the wing of composer Simon Mayr who had enrolled him by means of a full scholarship in a school which he had set up. There he received detailed training in the arts of fugue and counterpoint. Mayr was also instrumental in obtaining a place for the young man at the Bologna Academy, where, at the age of 19, he wrote his first one-act opera, the comedy Il Pigmalione, which may never have been performed during his lifetime.
Over the course of his career, Donizetti wrote almost 70 operas. An offer in 1822 from Domenico Barbaja, the impresario of the Teatro di San Carlo in Naples, which followed the composer's ninth opera, led to his move to that city and his residency there which lasted until the production of Caterina Cornaro in January 1844. In all, Naples presented 51 of Donizetti's operas.
Before 1830, success came primarily with his comic operas, the serious ones failing to attract significant audiences. However, his first notable success came with an opera seria, Zoraida di Granata, which was presented in 1822 in Rome. In 1830, when Anna Bolena was premiered, Donizetti made a major impact on the Italian and international opera scene and this shifted the balance of success away from primarily comedic operas, although even after that date, his best-known works included comedies such as L'elisir d'amore (1832) and Don Pasquale (1843). Significant historical dramas did appear and succeed; they included Lucia di Lammermoor (the first to have a libretto written by Salvadore Cammarano) given in Naples in 1835, and one of the most successful Neapolitan operas, Roberto Devereux in 1837. Up to that point, all of his operas had been set to Italian libretti.
Donizetti found himself increasingly chafing against the censorship limitations which existed in Italy (and especially in Naples). From about 1836, he became interested in working in Paris, where he saw much greater freedom to choose subject matter, in addition to receiving larger fees and greater prestige. Starting in 1838 with an offer from the Paris Opéra for two new works, he spent a considerable part of the following ten years in that city, and set several operas to French texts as well as overseeing staging of his Italian works. The first opera was a French version of the then-unperformed Poliuto which, in April 1840, was revised to become Les martyrs. Two new operas were also given in Paris at that time.
As the 1840s progressed, Donizetti moved regularly between Naples, Rome, Paris, and Vienna, continuing to compose and stage his own operas as well as those of other composers. But from around 1843, severe illness began to take hold and to limit his activities. Eventually, by early 1846 he was obliged to be confined to an institution for the mentally ill and, by late 1847, friends had him moved back to Bergamo, where he died in April 1848.
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January 28, 2022
“LA FAVORITA”, il cui libretto è stato composto in francese da Royer, Vaëz e Scribe (tradotto poi in italiano da F. Jannetti), racconta l’amore tragico tra Leonora, l’amante di Re Alfonso, e Fernando, uomo d’onore che in realtà non conosce l’identità dell’amata e, di fronte alla sua richiesta di fuggire da lei, risponde in modo accorato:
<Mia vita è l’amarti, spirare per te.
Pria freddo il cor mio per morte sarà,
ma dirti l’addio, ah, mai non potrà!>>.
Ma il loro è un destino avverso e devo ammettere che, seguire i versi che narrano la loro storia attraverso la musica di Donizetti, godendo appieno dell’opera a cui appartengono, con recitazione, balletti e belcanto, è un’esperienza edificante e commovente.
<Mia vita è l’amarti, spirare per te.
Pria freddo il cor mio per morte sarà,
ma dirti l’addio, ah, mai non potrà!>>.
Ma il loro è un destino avverso e devo ammettere che, seguire i versi che narrano la loro storia attraverso la musica di Donizetti, godendo appieno dell’opera a cui appartengono, con recitazione, balletti e belcanto, è un’esperienza edificante e commovente.
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review