«Leggiadri spiriti con fest’e giubilo danzate». Spunti di drammaturgia dei balli nell’opera <em>L’Empio punito</em>  (Roma 1669) di Alessandro Melani

Valentina Panzanaro

doi:10.6092/issn.2036-1599/14122

Authors

Valentina Panzanaro La Sapienza University, Rome

Valentina Panzanaro, graduated in baroque flute, is PhD in Music and Spectacle, La Sapienza University Rome, with the research titled "Instrumental dance music alla francese in late seventeenth-century Rome". She has participated in national and international conferences on baroque music. She has published Balli…con la misura giusta per ballare di Salvatore Mazzella una raccolta di danze "da camera" e "da ballo", «Recercare», XXX/1-2, (2018); the book Suoni e immagini di una città. Storia della musica all’Aquila tra Medioevo e prima età moderna, Simmetrie, Roma 2020; and other scientific articles. She works with magazine «Musica più» of "A. Casella" Coservatoire of L’Aquila. From 2004, she carries out musical and research activities with the Association Le Cantrici di Euterpe. She wrote for Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale dei Conservatori and Stradella Young Project.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.6092/issn.2036-1599/14122

Abstract

In the second half of the seventeenth century, the Roman opera production presents several outstanding moments such as prologues, intermezzi and balli (dances), highlighting a very significant cultural phenomenon. The theatrical opera L’Empio punito (Rome 1669), adapted from El Burlador de Sevilla – a Spanish comedy by Tirso de Molina – was set to music by Alessandro Melani on a libretto by F. Apolloni and F. Acciaioli. It represents one of the most interesting librettist publications displaying valuable iconographies by Pierre Paul Sevin and complete score. The aim of this research is to provide ideas for the dramaturgy of the dances present in the Roman opera, through comparison of all sources in order to understand the staging of the balli and their social importance in seventeenth-century Rome.