La pastorella nobile
Encyclopedia
La pastorella nobile is an commedia per musica in two acts by Pietro Alessandro Guglielmi
. The Italian
libretto
was by Francesco Saverio Zini.
in Naples
on 15 or 19 April 1788 with Irene Tomeoni, the creator of the title role of La bella pescatrice as the shepherdess Eurilla.
It was one of Guglielmi's most successful opera. Productions followed in Italy and elsewhere, including London
, Paris
, Madrid
, Dresden
and Prague
, sometimes under the title L'erede di Belprato. In Germany
it was given as Die Schöne auf dem Lande, Die adelische Schäferin and Das adelige Landmädchen.
In Vienna
it was the most popular opera at the beginning of the 1790s. Adriana Ferrarese
and Francesco Benucci, the first Fiodiligi and Guglielmo in Così fan tutte
sang the roles of Donna Florida and Don Polibio, in a version that apparently enhanced the importance of Donna Florida, probably through a revision by Lorenzo Da Ponte
, Mozart
's librettist and Ferrarese's lover. However the later arrival on the scene of Tomeoni (to sing Eurilla) led to the restoration of the original version.
Pietro Alessandro Guglielmi
Pietro Alessandro Guglielmi was an Italian opera composer.Guglielmi was born in Massa. He received his first musical education from his father, and afterwards studied under Francesco Durante at the Conservatorio di Santa Maria di Loreto at Naples...
. The Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
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...
was by Francesco Saverio Zini.
Performance history
La pastorella nobile was first performed at the Teatro del FondoTeatro del Fondo
The Teatro del Fondo is a theatre in Naples, now known as the Teatro Mercadante. Together with the Teatro San Carlo, it was originally one of the two royal opera houses of the 18th and 19th-century city....
in Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
on 15 or 19 April 1788 with Irene Tomeoni, the creator of the title role of La bella pescatrice as the shepherdess Eurilla.
It was one of Guglielmi's most successful opera. Productions followed in Italy and elsewhere, including London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, Dresden
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
and Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
, sometimes under the title L'erede di Belprato. In Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
it was given as Die Schöne auf dem Lande, Die adelische Schäferin and Das adelige Landmädchen.
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...
it was the most popular opera at the beginning of the 1790s. Adriana Ferrarese
Adriana Ferrarese del Bene
Adriana Ferrarese del Bene was an Italian operatic soprano. She was one of the first performers of Susanna in Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro and the first performer of Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte....
and Francesco Benucci, the first Fiodiligi and Guglielmo in Così fan tutte
Così fan tutte
Così fan tutte, ossia La scuola degli amanti K. 588, is an opera buffa by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart first performed in 1790. The libretto was written by Lorenzo Da Ponte....
sang the roles of Donna Florida and Don Polibio, in a version that apparently enhanced the importance of Donna Florida, probably through a revision by Lorenzo Da Ponte
Lorenzo Da Ponte
Lorenzo Da Ponte was a Venetian opera librettist and poet. He wrote the librettos for 28 operas by 11 composers, including three of Mozart's greatest operas, Don Giovanni, The Marriage of Figaro and Così fan tutte....
, 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...
's librettist and Ferrarese's lover. However the later arrival on the scene of Tomeoni (to sing Eurilla) led to the restoration of the original version.
Roles
| Cast | Voice type | Premiere, 15 or 19 April 1788 |
|---|---|---|
| Eurilla, a shepherdess | 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... |
Irene Tomeoni |
| Marchese Astolfo | 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... |
|
| Don Polibio, the mayor | bass | |
| Don Calloandro, Don Polibio's son | baritone Baritone Baritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or... |
|
| Donna Florida, Astolfo's fiancée | soprano | |
| Don Astianatte. Donna Florida's brother | tenor | |