La Nitteti
Encyclopedia
La Nitteti is an 18th-century Italian opera
in 3 acts by the Czech composer Josef Mysliveček
. It was composed to a libretto
by the Italian poet Metastasio
that was first performed in 1756, one of the newer (and less popular) of the Metastasian librettos in Mysliveček's day. For a performance in the 1770s, it would only be expected that a libretto of such age would be abbreviated and altered to suit contemporary operatic taste. This opera contains more substitutions of original aria texts than any other Mysliveček setting of a Metastasian libretto. The cuts and changes in the text made for the 1770 performance of Mysliveček's opera are not attributable. All of Mysliveček's operas are of the serious type in Italian language referred to as opera seria
.
on 29 April 1770, a month after Mysliveček first made the acquaintance of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
and his father Leopold
the previous month in the same city. From the correspondence of the Mozart family, it is known that the singer Caterina Gabrielli
was engaged originally to be the prima donna
for the production, but she did not come up from Palermo
as planned, to the disappointment of the Bolognese. Her replacement, Clementina Spagnuoli, was a much less distinguished singer. Another notable singer, the castrato
Tommaso Guarducci, met Mysliveček for the first time during the course of the preparations for this production, then became close professional associates for several years afterward. The production was a success. It was revived for the carnival
operatic season of 1777 for the Teatro Nuovo in Pavia
, the same theater that first opened in 1773 with a performance of Mysliveček's first setting of Metastasio's libretto Demetrio.
, which was supposed to be performed in Milan
later that year. Mysliveček was also staying in Bologna that summer and was a frequent visitor to the Mozart household according to letters of Mozart's father. There is no question that Wolfgang studied Mysliveček's score for La Nitteti closely and picked up compositional expertise and musical motives as a result. The use of Mysliveček's musical motives is seen most clearly in the overture to Mitridate and in its opening aria
, "Sono in mar."
Act I, scene 1 - Aria of Sammete, "Sono in mar"
Act I, scene 2 - Aria of Amenofi, "Se il labbro nol dice"
Act I, scene 3 - Aria of Nitteti, "Tu sai che amante io sono"
Act I, scene 4 - Aria of Sammete, "Care luci nel mirarvi tal dolcezza" [a non-Metastasian text]
Act I, scene 5 - Aria of Beroe, "Tra l'affanno e la speranza" [a non-Metastasian text]
Act I, scene 8 - Aria of Amasi, "Tutte fin or dal cielo"
Act I, scene 10 - Duet for Beroe and Sammete, "Sì, it credo, amato bene"
Act II, scene 1 - Accompanied recitative for Beroe, "Povero cor, tu palpiti"
Act II, scene 5 - Aria of Amasi, "Puoi vantar le tue ritorte"
Act II, scene 7 - Aria of Beroe, "Ah, non temer ben mio" [a non-Metastasian text]
Act II, scene 8 - Aria of Bubaste, "Tuona talor minaccia" [a non-Metastasian text]
Act II, scene 9 - Aria of Sammete, "Se la cagion saprete" [a non-Metastasian text]
Act II, scene 10 - Aria of Amenosi, "Da voi cari lumi" [a non-Metastasian text]
Act II, scene 11 - Aria of Nitteti, "Se fra gelosi sdegni"
Act II, scene 12 - Accompanied recitative for Beroe and Sammete, "Ma dove, oh Dio, mi guidi?"
Act II, scene 13 - Trio for Beroe, Sammete, and Amasi, "Guardami, padre amato" [a non-Metastasian text]
Act III, scene 3 - Aria of Amasi, "Taci, o cor, in questo petto" [a non-Metastasian text]
Act III, scene 5 - Aria of Beroe, "Bramai di salvarti"
Act III, scene 7 - Aria of Sammete, "Se consolarmi"
, Miroslav Hrdlička, conductor.
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
in 3 acts by the Czech composer Josef Mysliveček
Josef Myslivecek
Josef Mysliveček was a Czech composer who contributed to the formation of late eighteenth-century classicism in music...
. It was composed to a 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 the Italian poet Metastasio
Metastasio
Pietro Antonio Domenico Trapassi, better known by his pseudonym of Metastasio, was an Italian poet and librettist, considered the most important writer of opera seria libretti.-Early life:...
that was first performed in 1756, one of the newer (and less popular) of the Metastasian librettos in Mysliveček's day. For a performance in the 1770s, it would only be expected that a libretto of such age would be abbreviated and altered to suit contemporary operatic taste. This opera contains more substitutions of original aria texts than any other Mysliveček setting of a Metastasian libretto. The cuts and changes in the text made for the 1770 performance of Mysliveček's opera are not attributable. All of Mysliveček's operas are of the serious type in Italian language referred to as opera seria
Opera seria
Opera seria is an Italian musical term which refers to the noble and "serious" style of Italian opera that predominated in Europe from the 1710s to c. 1770...
.
Performance history
The opera was first performed at the Teatro Nuovo Pubblico in BolognaBologna
Bologna is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna, in the Po Valley of Northern Italy. The city lies between the Po River and the Apennine Mountains, more specifically, between the Reno River and the Savena River. Bologna is a lively and cosmopolitan Italian college city, with spectacular history,...
on 29 April 1770, a month after Mysliveček first made the acquaintance of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , baptismal name Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart , was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music...
and his father Leopold
Leopold Mozart
Johann Georg Leopold Mozart was a German composer, conductor, teacher, and violinist. Mozart is best known today as the father and teacher of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and for his violin textbook Versuch einer gründlichen Violinschule.-Childhood and student years:He was born in Augsburg, son of...
the previous month in the same city. From the correspondence of the Mozart family, it is known that the singer Caterina Gabrielli
Caterina Gabrielli
Caterina Gabrielli was an Italian soprano.-Biography:Caterina Gabrielli was the daughter of a cook in the service of prince Gabrielli, in Rome...
was engaged originally to be the prima donna
Prima donna
Originally used in opera or Commedia dell'arte companies, "prima donna" is Italian for "first lady." The term was used to designate the leading female singer in the opera company, the person to whom the prime roles would be given. The prima donna was normally, but not necessarily, a soprano...
for the production, but she did not come up from Palermo
Palermo
Palermo is a city in Southern Italy, the capital of both the autonomous region of Sicily and the Province of Palermo. The city is noted for its history, culture, architecture and gastronomy, playing an important role throughout much of its existence; it is over 2,700 years old...
as planned, to the disappointment of the Bolognese. Her replacement, Clementina Spagnuoli, was a much less distinguished singer. Another notable singer, the castrato
Castrato
A castrato is a man with a singing voice equivalent to that of a soprano, mezzo-soprano, or contralto voice produced either by castration of the singer before puberty or one who, because of an endocrinological condition, never reaches sexual maturity.Castration before puberty prevents a boy's...
Tommaso Guarducci, met Mysliveček for the first time during the course of the preparations for this production, then became close professional associates for several years afterward. The production was a success. It was revived for the carnival
Carnival
Carnaval is a festive season which occurs immediately before Lent; the main events are usually during February. Carnaval typically involves a public celebration or parade combining some elements of a circus, mask and public street party...
operatic season of 1777 for the Teatro Nuovo in Pavia
Pavia
Pavia , the ancient Ticinum, is a town and comune of south-western Lombardy, northern Italy, 35 km south of Milan on the lower Ticino river near its confluence with the Po. It is the capital of the province of Pavia. It has a population of c. 71,000...
, the same theater that first opened in 1773 with a performance of Mysliveček's first setting of Metastasio's libretto Demetrio.
Connection with Mozart
During the summer of 1770, the young Mozart was staying with his father in Bologna and working on his first opera for Italy, Mitridate, re di PontoMitridate, re di Ponto
Mitridate, re di Ponto , K. 87 , is an early opera seria in three acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The libretto is by Vittorio Amadeo Cigna-Santi after Giuseppe Parini's Italian translation of Jean Racine....
, which was supposed to be performed in Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
later that year. Mysliveček was also staying in Bologna that summer and was a frequent visitor to the Mozart household according to letters of Mozart's father. There is no question that Wolfgang studied Mysliveček's score for La Nitteti closely and picked up compositional expertise and musical motives as a result. The use of Mysliveček's musical motives is seen most clearly in the overture to Mitridate and in its opening aria
Aria
An aria in music was originally any expressive melody, usually, but not always, performed by a singer. The term is now used almost exclusively to describe a self-contained piece for one voice usually with orchestral accompaniment...
, "Sono in mar."
Roles
| Roles | Voice type | Premiere, 29 April 1770, Teatro Nuovo Pubblico, Bologna |
|---|---|---|
| Amasi, king of Egypt | tenor Tenor The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2... |
Salvatore Casetti |
| Sammete, son of Amasi, in love with Beroe | 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... castrato Castrato A castrato is a man with a singing voice equivalent to that of a soprano, mezzo-soprano, or contralto voice produced either by castration of the singer before puberty or one who, because of an endocrinological condition, never reaches sexual maturity.Castration before puberty prevents a boy's... |
Tommaso Guarducci |
| Beroe, a shepherdess | soprano | Clementina Spagnuoli |
| Nitteti, an Egytian princess secretly in love with Sammete | soprano | Daniella Mienci |
| Amenofi, ruler of Cyrene, friend of Sammete, secretly in love with Nitteti | tenor | Marcello Pompili |
| Bubaste, captain of the royal guard | bass Bass (voice type) A bass is a type of male singing voice and possesses the lowest vocal range of all voice types. According to The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, a bass is typically classified as having a range extending from around the second E below middle C to the E above middle C... |
Giacomo Panato |
Vocal Set Pieces
Act I, scene 1 - Accompanied recitative for Amenofi and Sammete, "E Sammete non torna"Act I, scene 1 - Aria of Sammete, "Sono in mar"
Act I, scene 2 - Aria of Amenofi, "Se il labbro nol dice"
Act I, scene 3 - Aria of Nitteti, "Tu sai che amante io sono"
Act I, scene 4 - Aria of Sammete, "Care luci nel mirarvi tal dolcezza" [a non-Metastasian text]
Act I, scene 5 - Aria of Beroe, "Tra l'affanno e la speranza" [a non-Metastasian text]
Act I, scene 8 - Aria of Amasi, "Tutte fin or dal cielo"
Act I, scene 10 - Duet for Beroe and Sammete, "Sì, it credo, amato bene"
Act II, scene 1 - Accompanied recitative for Beroe, "Povero cor, tu palpiti"
Act II, scene 5 - Aria of Amasi, "Puoi vantar le tue ritorte"
Act II, scene 7 - Aria of Beroe, "Ah, non temer ben mio" [a non-Metastasian text]
Act II, scene 8 - Aria of Bubaste, "Tuona talor minaccia" [a non-Metastasian text]
Act II, scene 9 - Aria of Sammete, "Se la cagion saprete" [a non-Metastasian text]
Act II, scene 10 - Aria of Amenosi, "Da voi cari lumi" [a non-Metastasian text]
Act II, scene 11 - Aria of Nitteti, "Se fra gelosi sdegni"
Act II, scene 12 - Accompanied recitative for Beroe and Sammete, "Ma dove, oh Dio, mi guidi?"
Act II, scene 13 - Trio for Beroe, Sammete, and Amasi, "Guardami, padre amato" [a non-Metastasian text]
Act III, scene 3 - Aria of Amasi, "Taci, o cor, in questo petto" [a non-Metastasian text]
Act III, scene 5 - Aria of Beroe, "Bramai di salvarti"
Act III, scene 7 - Aria of Sammete, "Se consolarmi"
Recording
One aria from Mysliveček's La Nitteti is available in a collection recorded by the Czech soprano Zdena Kloubová: "Ah, non temer ben mio." The recording is Panton 81 1044-2231 (1992) with the Benda Chamber OrchestraBenda Chamber Orchestra
Benda Chamber Orchestra is a Czech amateur music ensemble in Usti nad Labem, Czech Republic. It is named after the renowned Czech family of musicians and composers of the 18th century - the Bendas .-History:The orchestra was founded in 1956 in Usti nad Labem, North Bohemia, Czech Republic...
, Miroslav Hrdlička, conductor.