Il ballo delle ingrate
Encyclopedia
Il ballo delle ingrate is a semi-dramatic ballet
(or ballo) by the Italian composer Claudio Monteverdi
with words by Ottavio Rinuccini
. It was first performed in Mantua
on Wednesday 4 June, 1608 as part of the wedding celebrations for Francesco Gonzaga (the son of Monteverdri's patron Duke Vincenzo of Mantua) and Margaret of Savoy
. Both Vincenzo and Francesco Gonzaga took part in the dancing. Monteverdi also composed the opera L'Arianna
(to another libretto
by Rinuccini) and the music for the prologue to Guarini's play L'idropica for the occasion.
Il Ballo delle ingrate was published as part of Monteverdi's Eighth Book of Madrigals (Madrigali guerrieri, et amorosi) in 1638. This printed version probably contains revisions Monteverdi made for a revival in Vienna
. The virtuosic bass writing for Plutone is closer in style to Monteverdi's late operas than to that of his L'Orfeo (1607). The musicologist Paolo Fabbri believes that the revisions were made for a performance to celebrate the coronation of the Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand III in 1636. The sudden death of the previous emperor meant Monteverdi had to produce music at short notice, so he reworked the Ballo delle ingrate, removing the references to the Mantuan wedding.
. Venus and Cupid visit Pluto, King of the Underworld, and complain that the arrows from Cupid's bow are no longer effective on the ladies of Mantua who are scorning their lovers. Cupid asks Pluto to bring the spirits of women who rejected love up from the Underworld to show what fate awaits them in the afterlife. Pluto agrees and the spirits of the "ungrateful ladies" enter and dance "two by two...with grave steps" as Pluto sings a warning to the women in the audience. As the ungrateful ladies return to the Underworld one of them sings a lament regretting she must leave the "pure and serene air."
Ballet
Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...
(or ballo) by the Italian composer Claudio Monteverdi
Claudio Monteverdi
Claudio Giovanni Antonio Monteverdi – 29 November 1643) was an Italian composer, gambist, and singer.Monteverdi's work, often regarded as revolutionary, marked the transition from the Renaissance style of music to that of the Baroque period. He developed two individual styles of composition – the...
with words by Ottavio Rinuccini
Ottavio Rinuccini
Ottavio Rinuccini was an Italian poet, courtier, and opera librettist at the end of the Renaissance and beginning of the Baroque eras...
. It was first performed in Mantua
Mantua
Mantua is a city and comune in Lombardy, Italy and capital of the province of the same name. Mantua's historic power and influence under the Gonzaga family, made it one of the main artistic, cultural and notably musical hubs of Northern Italy and the country as a whole...
on Wednesday 4 June, 1608 as part of the wedding celebrations for Francesco Gonzaga (the son of Monteverdri's patron Duke Vincenzo of Mantua) and Margaret of Savoy
Margarida of Savoy, Vicereine of Portugal
Margaret of Savoy, Duchess Consort of Mantua and Montferrat was best known as the last Spanish Vicereine of Portugal...
. Both Vincenzo and Francesco Gonzaga took part in the dancing. Monteverdi also composed the opera L'Arianna
L'Arianna
L'Arianna was the second opera written by Claudio Monteverdi, and one of the most influential and famous specimens of early Baroque opera. It was first performed in Mantua on 28 May 1608. The libretto is by Ottavio Rinuccini, who took the Classical story of Ariadne and Theseus from Ovid's Heroides...
(to another libretto
Libretto
A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata, or musical. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata, or even the story line of a...
by Rinuccini) and the music for the prologue to Guarini's play L'idropica for the occasion.
Il Ballo delle ingrate was published as part of Monteverdi's Eighth Book of Madrigals (Madrigali guerrieri, et amorosi) in 1638. This printed version probably contains revisions Monteverdi made for a revival in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
. The virtuosic bass writing for Plutone is closer in style to Monteverdi's late operas than to that of his L'Orfeo (1607). The musicologist Paolo Fabbri believes that the revisions were made for a performance to celebrate the coronation of the Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand III in 1636. The sudden death of the previous emperor meant Monteverdi had to produce music at short notice, so he reworked the Ballo delle ingrate, removing the references to the Mantuan wedding.
Roles
| Cast | Voice type | Premiere, 4 June 1608 |
|---|---|---|
| Venere (Venus) | soprano Soprano A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody... |
|
| Amore (Cupid Cupid In Roman mythology, Cupid is the god of desire, affection and erotic love. He is the son of the goddess Venus and the god Mars. His Greek counterpart is Eros... ) |
soprano | |
| Plutone (Pluto) | bass | |
| Una ingrata (An ungrateful lady) | soprano | |
Synopsis
The stage shows the mouth of the UnderworldHades
Hades , Hadēs, originally , Haidēs or , Aidēs , meaning "the unseen") was the ancient Greek god of the underworld. The genitive , Haidou, was an elision to denote locality: "[the house/dominion] of Hades". Eventually, the nominative came to designate the abode of the dead.In Greek mythology, Hades...
. Venus and Cupid visit Pluto, King of the Underworld, and complain that the arrows from Cupid's bow are no longer effective on the ladies of Mantua who are scorning their lovers. Cupid asks Pluto to bring the spirits of women who rejected love up from the Underworld to show what fate awaits them in the afterlife. Pluto agrees and the spirits of the "ungrateful ladies" enter and dance "two by two...with grave steps" as Pluto sings a warning to the women in the audience. As the ungrateful ladies return to the Underworld one of them sings a lament regretting she must leave the "pure and serene air."
Recordings
- Il ballo delle ingrate (with Sestina) Les Arts Florissants, conducted by William ChristieWilliam Christie (musician)William Lincoln Christie is an American-born French conductor and harpsichordist. He is noted as a specialist in baroque repertoire and as the founder of the ensemble Les Arts Florissants....
(Harmonia Mundi, 1982) - Il ballo delle ingrate (with Il combattimento di Tancredi e ClorindaIl Combattimento di Tancredi e ClorindaIl combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda is an operatic scena for three voices by Claudio Monteverdi, although many dispute how the piece should be classified. The piece has a libretto drawn from Torquato Tasso's La Gerusalemme Liberata , a Romance set against the backdrop of the First Crusade...
) Red Byrd, Parley of Instruments (Hyperion, 1992) - Il ballo delle ingrate (with Il combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda, Tirsi e Clori and Tempro la cetra) Ensemble Tragicomedia, conducted by Stephen Stubbs (Teldec, 1993)
- Il ballo delle ingrate (with Tirsi e Clori and music from L'Orfeo) Monteverdi ChoirMonteverdi ChoirThe Monteverdi Choir was founded in 1964 by Sir John Eliot Gardiner for a performance of the Monteverdi Vespers in King's College Chapel, Cambridge. A specialist Baroque ensemble, the Choir has become famous for its stylistic conviction and extensive repertoire, encompassing music from the early...
, English Baroque SoloistsEnglish Baroque SoloistsThe English Baroque Soloists is a chamber orchestra playing on period instruments, formed in 1978 by English conductor Sir John Eliot Gardiner. Its repertoire comprises music from the early Baroque period to the Classical period...
, conducted by John Eliot GardinerJohn Eliot GardinerSir John Eliot Gardiner CBE FKC is an English conductor. He founded the Monteverdi Choir , the English Baroque Soloists and the Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique...
(Erato, 1993) - Il ballo delle ingrate (with Il combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda and Tirsi e Clori) New London Consort, conducted by Philip Pickett (Decca L'Oiseau-Lyre, 1995)
- Il ballo delle ingrate (with Il combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda) Capella Musicale di S. Petronio di Bologna, conducted by Serge Vartolo (Naxos, 1997)
- Il ballo delle ingrate (with Il combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda), Concerto Italiano, conducted by Rinaldo Alessandrini (Opus 111, 1998)
- Il ballo delle ingrate (as part of a complete recording of Madrigali guerrieri ed amorosi - Monteverdi's Eight Book of Madrigals) Concerto Vocale, conducted by René Jacobs (Harmonia Mundi, 2002)
- Il ballo delle ingrate (as part of a complete recording of Monteverdi's Eighth Book of Madrigals), La Venexiana, conducted by Claudio Cavina (Glossa, 2005)
- Il ballo delle ingrate, I Fagiolini and Barokksolistene conducted by Robert Hollingworth (Chandos, 2009)
Sources
- The Viking Opera Guide edited by Amanda Holden (Viking, 1993) p.679
- Notes by Peter Holman to the Hyperion recording listed above (1992)
- Paolo Fabbri Monteverdi, translated by Tim Carter (Cambridge University Press, 1994)