Partenope (Zumaya)
Encyclopedia
Partenope is an opera
in three acts by composer
Manuel de Zumaya
. Zumaya adapted the libretto
himself from a Spanish translation of Silvio Stampiglia’s Italian libretto which was first set for performance in Naples during 1699 with music by Luigi Mancia. All told, Stampiglia's libretto was used by a variety of composers for more than a dozen operas that were produced all over Italy, including versions by Leonardo Vinci
and George Frideric Handel
. Zumaya's version was commissioned by Viceroy Fernando de Alencastre Noroña y Silva and produced at the viceroyal palace in Mexico City
on 1 May 1711. The production is the earliest known full opera produced in North America
and the first opera written by an American-born composer. However, Parténope is not the earliest opera to be performed in the New World
, as some sources have reported. That distinction belongs to Tomás de Torrejón y Velasco
's La púrpura de la rosa
, which premiered ten years earlier in Lima
, Peru
.
Partenope may not have been the first stage work by Zumaya that contained music. He had previously written the play Rodirigo for the birth of Crown Prince Luis in 1708. It is possible that he may have also composed music for this play. Unfortunately, both the score of Zumaya's opera and any music he may have written for the play has now been lost.
(or Parthenope) appears in Greek mythology
and classical literature and art as one of the siren
s who taunted Odysseus
. One version of the tale depicts her throwing herself into the sea because her love for Odysseus was not returned. She drowns and her body washes up on the shore of Naples, which was called Partenope after her name. From this, Silvio Stampiglia created a fictional account where Partenope appears as the Queen of Naples.
, in marriage. Meanwhile, Prince Emilio is at war with Naples and with Partenope. Partenope is primarily attracted to Arsace. However, she does not know that Arsace has previously abandoned Rosmira, who is disguised as a man, named Eurimene, and is trying to win him back. Rosmira, as Eurimene, confronts him and harasses him for his faithlessness, and demands that he keep her true identity secret. Ultimately, Rosmira/Eurimene challenges her lover to a duel in a court of honour, but her identity is revealed when he demands the condition that they fight stripped to the waist.
, which largely started due to the collapse of complicated negotiations over lands in all parts of Europe, especially in Italy. The story of this libretto reflects the kinds of political intrigues occurring in Italy, Spain, and many other European nations prior to the onset of the War. The story resonated well with audiences of the day becaused they recognized the political confusion as reflective of their times. This is one reason why Zumaya and so many other composers chose to use Stampiglia's libretto during the early eighteenth century.
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 three acts by composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
Manuel de Zumaya
Manuel de Zumaya
Manuel de Zumaya or Manuel de Sumaya was perhaps the most famous Mexican composer of the colonial period of New Spain. His music was the culmination of the Baroque style in the New World; of Spanish, French, Dutch, British, and Portuguese colonial composers, none stand out as much as Zumaya did...
. Zumaya adapted the 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...
himself from a Spanish translation of Silvio Stampiglia’s Italian libretto which was first set for performance in Naples during 1699 with music by Luigi Mancia. All told, Stampiglia's libretto was used by a variety of composers for more than a dozen operas that were produced all over Italy, including versions by Leonardo Vinci
Leonardo Vinci
Leonardo Vinci was an Italian composer, best known for his operas.He was born at Strongoli and educated at Naples under Gaetano Greco in the Conservatorio dei Poveri di Gesù Cristo. He first became known for his opere buffe in Neapolitan dialect in 1719; he also composed many opere serie...
and George Frideric Handel
George Frideric Handel
George Frideric Handel was a German-British Baroque composer, famous for his operas, oratorios, anthems and organ concertos. Handel was born in 1685, in a family indifferent to music...
. Zumaya's version was commissioned by Viceroy Fernando de Alencastre Noroña y Silva and produced at the viceroyal palace in Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
on 1 May 1711. The production is the earliest known full opera produced in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
and the first opera written by an American-born composer. However, Parténope is not the earliest opera to be performed in the New World
New World
The New World is one of the names used for the Western Hemisphere, specifically America and sometimes Oceania . The term originated in the late 15th century, when America had been recently discovered by European explorers, expanding the geographical horizon of the people of the European middle...
, as some sources have reported. That distinction belongs to Tomás de Torrejón y Velasco
Tomás de Torrejón y Velasco
Tomás de Torrejón y Velasco Sánchez was a Spanish composer, musician and organist based in Peru, associated with the American Baroque.-Life:...
's La púrpura de la rosa
La púrpura de la rosa
La púrpura de la rosa is an opera in one act, composed by Tomás de Torrejón y Velasco to a Spanish libretto by Pedro Calderón de la Barca, the last great writer of the Spanish Golden Age. It is the first known opera to be composed and performed in the Americas and is Torrejón y Velasco's only...
, which premiered ten years earlier in Lima
Lima
Lima is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín rivers, in the central part of the country, on a desert coast overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Together with the seaport of Callao, it forms a contiguous urban area known as the Lima...
, Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
.
Partenope may not have been the first stage work by Zumaya that contained music. He had previously written the play Rodirigo for the birth of Crown Prince Luis in 1708. It is possible that he may have also composed music for this play. Unfortunately, both the score of Zumaya's opera and any music he may have written for the play has now been lost.
Principal characters
- Rosmira, Princess of Cyprus
- Partenope, Queen of Partenope (later Naples)
- Arsace, Prince of Corinth
- Armindo, Prince of Rhodes
- Emilio, Prince of Cuma
- Ormonte, Captain of Partenope's Guard
Background
PartenopePartenope
Partenope is an opera by George Frideric Handel, first performed at the King's Theatre in London on 24 February 1730.-Background:...
(or Parthenope) appears in Greek mythology
Greek mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...
and classical literature and art as one of the siren
Siren
In Greek mythology, the Sirens were three dangerous mermaid like creatures, portrayed as seductresses who lured nearby sailors with their enchanting music and voices to shipwreck on the rocky coast of their island. Roman poets placed them on an island called Sirenum scopuli...
s who taunted Odysseus
Odysseus
Odysseus or Ulysses was a legendary Greek king of Ithaca and the hero of Homer's epic poem the Odyssey. Odysseus also plays a key role in Homer's Iliad and other works in the Epic Cycle....
. One version of the tale depicts her throwing herself into the sea because her love for Odysseus was not returned. She drowns and her body washes up on the shore of Naples, which was called Partenope after her name. From this, Silvio Stampiglia created a fictional account where Partenope appears as the Queen of Naples.
Story
Prince Arsace and Prince Armindo are seeking Queen Partenope, the founder of the city of NaplesNaples
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...
, in marriage. Meanwhile, Prince Emilio is at war with Naples and with Partenope. Partenope is primarily attracted to Arsace. However, she does not know that Arsace has previously abandoned Rosmira, who is disguised as a man, named Eurimene, and is trying to win him back. Rosmira, as Eurimene, confronts him and harasses him for his faithlessness, and demands that he keep her true identity secret. Ultimately, Rosmira/Eurimene challenges her lover to a duel in a court of honour, but her identity is revealed when he demands the condition that they fight stripped to the waist.
Analysis
Stampiglia wrote his libretto just before the beginning of the War of the Spanish SuccessionWar of the Spanish Succession
The War of the Spanish Succession was fought among several European powers, including a divided Spain, over the possible unification of the Kingdoms of Spain and France under one Bourbon monarch. As France and Spain were among the most powerful states of Europe, such a unification would have...
, which largely started due to the collapse of complicated negotiations over lands in all parts of Europe, especially in Italy. The story of this libretto reflects the kinds of political intrigues occurring in Italy, Spain, and many other European nations prior to the onset of the War. The story resonated well with audiences of the day becaused they recognized the political confusion as reflective of their times. This is one reason why Zumaya and so many other composers chose to use Stampiglia's libretto during the early eighteenth century.
Sources
- Craig H. Russell: "Manuel de Zumaya", Grove Music Online ed. L. Macy (Accessed September 18, 2008), (subscription access)
- Lowell Lindgren: "Silvio Stampiglia", Grove Music Online ed. L. Macy (Accessed September 18, 2008), (subscription access)
- Louise K Stein (1992), "Púrpura de la rosa, La" in The New Grove Dictionary of OperaNew Grove Dictionary of OperaThe New Grove Dictionary of Opera is an encyclopedia of opera, considered to be one of the best general reference sources on the subject. It is the largest work on opera in English, and in its printed form, amounts to 5,448 pages in four volumes....
, ed. Stanley Sadie (London) ISBN 0-333-73432-7 - Gasta, Chad M. (2003), “Public Reception, Politics and Propaganda in Torrejón’s La púrpura de la rosa, the First New World Opera.” Latin American Theatre Review 37.1 (2003): 43-60.