Study Guide for The Secret Marriage.pub

The impresario (from the Italian impresa, meaning "an
enterprise or undertaking") was the key figure in the
organization of the carnival season. He was very much like
today’s film and television producers: responsible for
organizing all aspects of a production, hiring the artists,
arranging for costumes and sets, working with lawyers to
draw up contracts for the various people involved in bringing
the production to the stage, getting the right venue, working
with the censors to get content approved, and so on. He
spent days traveling from one town to another, making sure
to connect with the key people in those towns to ensure that
his production would run smoothly and that he would be
invited back the following season. Often, impresarios took
on big financial risks; many of them went bankrupt. The role
of the impresario lost importance in the late 1800s, as music
publishers began to take over the role of producing operas.
Publishers controlled the composers as well as the casting,
leaving little for the traditional impresario to do.
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http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/william-hogarth-marriage-a-la-mode
#2 The Tête à Tête shows signs that the marriage has begun
to fail. The husband and wife appear uninterested in one another
and there are indicators of adulterous adventures and a fight.
William Hogarth painted Marriage à la Mode.
The six pictures
were
moralisticat
warning
aboutOpera
the disastrous
Production
Photo by
TimaMatheson
Vancouver
results of an ill-considered marriage for money. The original
engravings from 1743-1745 are in London’s National Gallery.
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Study Guide to the Opera
The high point of
the year was the
carnival season.
We know it as
Mardi Gras, but in
the 18th and 19th
centuries, carnival season ran from post-Christmas until
Lent. During this time, everyone expected to be entertained
with all new opera productions, including ballo grande
(grand ballet). This is where the impresario came in.
Sources: John Rosselli, The Opera Industry in Italy from Cimarosa to Verdi: The Role of the Impresario (Cambridge University Press), © 1984.
Italy was a group of 9 or 10 different states in the Italian
Peninsula; each state had its own dialect, laws, and
censors. Despite the differences, the people did seem to
have a “cultural unity”—their love of theater and music,
more specifically,
opera. For the
upper classes in
the towns, the
theater was the
center of their
social lives; it was
“where they met,
talked, ate, drank,
gambled, and were
entertained.”
Map found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Italy_unification_1815_1870.jpg
In order to understand the role of the impresario in early Italian
opera, one must understand what life was like in Italy before it
was unified into one country.
Music by Domenico Cimarosa ● Libretto by Giovanni Bertati
by Jill Leahy
(The Secret Marriage)
Pittsburgh Opera
Education thanks our
generous supporters:
Il matrimonio segreto
The Life of the Impresario,
from the time of Cimarosa to Verdi
A Legend about The Secret Marriage by Jill Leahy
Domenico Cimarosa wrote over 80 operas in his lifetime, but Il matrimonio
segreto, written in the middle of his career, is considered his masterpiece.
Working with a libretto by Giovanni Bertati that was itself based on a play
called The Clandestine Marriage (by playwright George Colman the Elder
and actor/playwright David Garrick), Cimarosa composed a wildly popular
comic opera and the only one of his works that is still being performed.
Opera legend Il matrimonio segreto was first
performed on February 7, 1792 in Vienna, at the
Imperial Hofburg Theatre, in the presence of
Emperor Leopold II. Its premiere is said to have
created the longest encore in opera history. As
the story goes, “Leopold II was so impressed that,
after offering dinner to all the performers, he had
them repeat the opera in a private performance on
the same day. This was a considerable feat
considering that, according to contemporary
reports, the première lasted close to three hours
because of public acclamation and the repetition
of arias and ensembles.” ¹
Domenico Cimarosa
1749 – 1801
It’s interesting to note that this opera opened in
“Cimarosa’s skill at writing
arias free from the
Vienna two months after Mozart’s death, and was
conventional strictures of the
more successful than any of Mozart’s works at that
form comes through in
time. Over the years, the richness and complexity
Geronimo’s “Che saltino i
dinari,” which stopped the
of Mozart’s operas have gained him a more
show at the premiere.” ²
enduring reputation. However, Il matrimonio
segreto offers a story that showcases human folly
without using disguises or mistaken identity so common in opera buffa, and
the simple beauty of Cimarosa’s music continues to provide audiences with
a refreshing break from the complexity of contemporary life.
¹ Oxford Music Online: Il matrimonio segreto (The Secret Marriage) by Gordana Lazarevich ² Anthony Tommasini — http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/30/arts/music/30cima.html?_r=0
The Secret Marriage Synopsis
Characters of the Opera
Marriage à la Mode, a series of six
paintings by William Hogarth, 1743 – 1745.
Adapted from Opera Theatre of St. Louis
Setting: We are in the household of Geronimo, a wealthy citizen of
Bologna. He has two daughters, Elisetta and Carolina, and a sister
Fidalma, who runs the household. He also has a young secretary,
Paolino, who is secretly married to the younger daughter, Carolina.
ACT I. Paolino and Carolina discuss how to stay calm
("Cara, non dubitar"). Paolino is working to arrange a
marriage contract between Elisetta and his patron, Count
Robinson, hoping that as soon as Geronimo's older
daughter is well married, his marriage to the younger one
will be acceptable. Count Robinson has written a letter
expressing interest—tempted by Elisetta's substantial
dowry—and Geronimo is thrilled to think that his daughter
will be a Countess ("Udite, tutti udite"). Fidalma
confesses to her niece that she is in love, too, but only
reveals in an aside to the audience that she has her eye
on Paolino.
Domenico Cimarosa was born on December 17, 1749 in
Aversa, a small town in southern Italy not far from Naples. His
parents were poor but, as was often the case in those times, they
sent Cimarosa to a nearby monastery where he could receive a
free education. Showing great promise, Cimarosa was awarded a
scholarship to a prestigious music school in Naples and he
continued his studies there under several Italian music masters.
Paolino [pah-oh-LEE-noh]
tenor
Clerk of Geronimo who is secretly married to
his daughter Carolina. In order to gain
Geronimo’s approval of their marriage,
Paolino arranges a marriage contract
between Elisetta and Count Robinson.
Carolina [kah-roh-LEE-nah] soprano
Geronimo’s younger daughter who is
secretly married to Paolino.
Geronimo [jay-ROH-nee-moh] bass
#1 The Marriage Contract shows an
arranged marriage between the son of bankrupt
Earl Squanderfield and the daughter of a
wealthy, miserly city merchant. (Painting #2 on p 1.)
A rich merchant who is deaf. He is the father
of Elisetta and Carolina, brother of Fidalma,
and employer of Paolino.
Elisetta [eh-lee-ZEH-tah] soprano
Older daughter of Geronimo and sister of
Carolina. As the elder daughter, she must be
married before Carolina.
When the Count arrives, he is disappointed to find that it is
Fidalma [fee-DAHL-mah] contralto
not Carolina who has been offered to him ("Senza tante
cerimonie"). He tells Paolino that he will be content with a Sister of Geronimo, aunt of Carolina and
Elisetta. She is in love with Paolino.
smaller dowry and sends him off to arrange the match.
Carolina doesn't dare tell the Count that she is married, so Count Robinson
bass
when she admits she has no lover, it excites him further.
A wealthy nobleman and former employer of
She tries to convince him that she has no desire or
Paolino. He is betrothed to Elisetta for a
large dowry, but prefers to marry Carolina
qualification to be a countess ("Perdonate, signor mio"),
but he continues to pursue her. Elisetta accuses them both instead, for a smaller dowry.
of betraying her, and the commotion attracts Fidalma, who
joins Carolina in trying to calm Elisetta ("Lasciatemi, signore"). Everyone tries at once to explain
his or her feelings to the confused and exasperated Geronimo ("Orsù, saper conviene").
#3 The Inspection shows the Count
and a prostitute, with syphilis, visiting a quack.
#4 The Toilette shows the Countess
and lover hosting a reception in her bedroom.
Intermission
ACT II. Geronimo insists that the Count must honor his contract and marry Elisetta, but the Count
refuses. When he offers to accept a smaller dowry with Carolina's hand instead, Geronimo is
delighted to save face and money—as long as Elisetta agrees. Paolino is distraught, and throws
himself on Fidalma's mercy, but is stunned to find that she hopes to marry him ("Sento, ahimé!
che mi vien male"). He faints, giving her the idea that he returns her emotion and making Carolina
think she has been betrayed, but he promises that they will leave the house at dawn and take
refuge in the house of a relative ("Pria che spunti in ciel l'aurora").
The Count tells Elisetta all his bad habits and physical defects, hoping she'll reject him, but she
stands firm—and he finally confesses that he cannot abide her. Geronimo can't persuade her
either. Fidalma suggests sending Carolina to a convent, and Geronimo agrees ("Deh! lasciate
ch'io respiri"). Carolina is broken-hearted and tries to confess her predicament to the Count, but
they are interrupted by her sister, her aunt, and her father, who are gleeful at having caught them
together ("Sortite, sortite"). Geronimo sends Paolino off with a letter to the Mother Superior.
After a brilliant and farcical finale, Paolino and Carolina finally confess they have been married for
two months. Geronimo and Fidalma are furious, but the Count and Elisetta advise them to forgive
the newlyweds, adding that they themselves will marry after all ("Ascoltate un uom di mondo").
A Master of Dramma Giocoso by Jill Leahy
Beginning at the age of 23, and for much of the rest of his life,
Cimarosa composed operas, mostly dramma giocoso (a.k.a.
opera buffa), and sacred pieces. He traveled throughout Italy
conducting his music and creating works for the “stagione”, which
is Italian for “season”, an organizational system used by larger
houses for presenting opera. He was a member of the Neapolitan
School, a group of composers who lived and worked around
Naples, which was a significant musical center in the 1700s.
Cimarosa composed over 80 operas and was celebrated as a
composer during his lifetime, although he is not as famous today
as some of his contemporaries, such as Mozart and Salieri.
In 1787, he received an invitation from the Empress Catherine II
(Catherine the Great) to come to St. Petersburg, where he stayed
until Emperor Leopold II invited him to Vienna in 1792. There,
Cimarosa collaborated with Giovanni Bertati to adapt The
Clandestine Marriage, a 1766 comedy by George Colman the
Elder and David Garick. The idea for the play came from a series
of William Hogarth paintings from 1743-1745 called Marriage à la
Mode. The six pictures pointedly skewered upperclass 18thcentury society, depicting disastrous results of marrying for
money. Il matrimonio segreto was Cimarosa's masterpiece: Verdi
considered it to be the model opera buffa and the Naples
audience received it with great acclaim.
Later, Cimarosa returned to Italy where he became involved in
some political intrigues that resulted in his being banished from
Naples. He died at the age of 52 on January 11, 1801 in Venice.
The Librettist Devoted to Dramma Giocoso
by Jill Leahy
#5 The Bagnio shows the Count fatally
wounded by his wife’s lover.
#6 The Lady’s Death shows the
Countess poisoning herself; her baby is infected.
Giovanni Bertati was born on July 10, 1735 in a province of
Venice called Martellago. He wrote his first libretto at the age of
28, and from then on, he worked prolifically, creating at least 70
known librettos during the course of his long career. Bertati visited
Vienna several times, and was fortunate enough to win the favor of
Emperor Leopold II, who gave him the title of Poeta Cesareo
("Imperial Poet") of the Italian Opera in Vienna, replacing Lorenzo
da Ponte, who had fallen out of the emperor’s good graces. During
Bertati’s career as a librettist, he almost exclusively wrote drammi
giocosi. While Il matrimonio segreto is considered Cimarosa’s
masterpiece, it was also Bertati’s most celebrated libretto.