Domenico Cimarosa: His Life and His Operas / Edition 1

by Nick Rossi, Talmage Fauntleroy

Overview

This is the first book in English about Domenico Cimarosa, his more than 65 operas and his sacred and secular vocal music, his keyboard music, and his various works for solo instruments and ensembles. This is also the first authoritative book on Cimarosa since an Italian biography published in 1939. Since that earlier tome was published, many important discoveries have come to light. The authors completed most of their research work at the library of the Conservatorio di musica S Pietro a Majella in Naples. Their efforts have uncovered new information on the composer's marriages, wives, children, actual performance locations, dates of first performances of his operas, and his professional appointments and contacts.

The first half of the book is devoted to a chronological description of Cimarosa's life and provides background material on the customs of the times and contemporary descriptions of the music conservatories in Naples where Cimarosa studied, as well as those in Venice where he was appointed Maestro. The second part presents an alphabetical listing of Cimarosa's more than 65 operas, including alternate names for those that were produced on different stages under different names. Included with each opera is a simple outline of the plot, the cast of characters and their voice ranges, and basic information about the structure of the music itself.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780313301124
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	09/30/1999
Series:	Contributions to the Study of Music and Dance , #50
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	240
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.69(d)
Lexile:	1460L (what's this?)

About the Author

NICK ROSSI was the author of fifteen books on music, including Music Through the Centuries, Hearing Music: An Introduction, and Opera in Italy Today: A Guide. He was Administrative Director of Studio Lirico in Cortona, Italy.

TALMAGE FAUNTLEROY is currently the Director of OPERA at USC, University of South Carolina, and Artistic Director of Opera Carolina Theater in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Table of Contents

His Life
Cimarosa: The Man and His Music
The Youthful Years (1749-1771)
The Setting: Opera in Naples During the 18th Century
The Early Operas: From Le stravaganze del conte (1772) to L'infedeltà fedele (1779)
The Road to Success
An Amorous Intermezzo
Russia
The Years of Glory
The Final Years
His Operas
Achille all'assedio di Troja
Alessandro nell'Indie
Amor combatutto dalle donne di punto
Gli amanti comici
Amor rende sagace
L'apparenza inganna
L'apprensivo raggirato
L'Armida immaginaria
Artaserse
Artemesia
Artemesia, regina di Caria
Le astuzie femminili
L'avviso ai maritati
La ballerina amante
La baronessa Stramba
La bella Greca/I matrimoni impensati
La biondolina
Cajo Mario
La calamità dei cuori
Il capriccio drammatico
Chi dell'altrui si veste presto si spoglia
Circe
Il credulo
La donna sempre al suo peggior s'appiglia
Le donne rivali
I due baroni di Rocca Azzura
I due supposti conti, ossia Lo sposo senza moglie
L'Eroe cinese
Il Falegname
Il fanatico burlato
Il fanatico per gli antichi romani
La felicità inaspettata
La finta amalata
La finta frascatana
La finta parigina
I finti nobili
Gare degli'amanti
Giannina e Bernardone
Giunio Bruto
L'impegno superato
L'impresario in angustie
L'imprudente fortunato
L'infedeltà fedele
L'italiana in Londra
Il maestro di cappella
Le magie di Merlina e Zoroaster
Il marito disperato
I matrimoni in ballo
Il matrimonio per raggiro
Il matrimonio segreto
Il mercato di Malmantile
I nemici generosi
L'Olimpiade
Gli Orazii e i Curiazzi
Oreste
Penelope
Pigmalinoe
Il pittor parigino
Il ritorno di Don Calandrino
Gli sdegni per amore
Li sposi per accidente
Le stravaganze d'amore
Le stravaganze del conte
I traci amanti
Le trame deluse
I tre amanti
La vanità delusa
Il vecchio burlato
La vergine del sole
La villana riconosciuta
Voldomiro
Bibliography
Index

Editorial Reviews

In preparing a production of Cimarosa's comic opera (The Secret Marriage), Rossi, who is currently editing the complete operatic overtures of this most popular opera composer of his day, and Fauntleroy (opera, U. of South Carolina) could not find an English-language work devoted to the 18th century Neapolitan composer's life and music. Based on a Cimarosa Rediscovered festival they arranged and original manuscripts, the authors redress this lacuna. Includes the earliest known portrait of Cimarosa, and illustrations of biographical memorabilia and modern stagings of some of his 65-plus operas. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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