# My timeline-of-opera listening/viewing project



## Vesteralen (Jul 14, 2011)

Having gotten a copy of the 1985 edition of The Simon & Schuster Book of the Opera, I decided I would devote a little time to each listed opera in the book.

In case you haven't seen it, the book lists more than 800 operas in chronological order starting with Peri's *La Dafne*. The problem with *La Dafne *is that we have no preserved score for it, so you will not find any recordings or videos of it to experience.

So, I begin my journey with the second item, Vecchi's *L'Amfiparnaso (1597)*. Technically, this is not an opera, but rather a Madrigal Comedy. However, I was able to obtain the score from my library, a Naxos recording on CD, and a DVD from Chandos' video line Chaconne. There are also a couple excerpts from a Spanish TV production on You Tube. So, a lot to experience here.

I watched the DVD last evening and listened to the CD this morning. In time, I want to record my reactions here.

In the meantime, anyone else with anything to say about this musically entrancing piece is welcome to share.

Thanks


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## sospiro (Apr 3, 2010)

Unfortunately I can't comment on *L'Amfiparnaso* but I must say what a wonderful project! I look forward to reading about your journey through the 800.


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## moody (Nov 5, 2011)

sospiro said:


> Unfortunately I can't comment on *L'Amfiparnaso* but I must say what a wonderful project! I look forward to reading about your journey through the 800.


If we ever see him again !


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## Vesteralen (Jul 14, 2011)

_*The Madrigal Comedy*_
Apparently there were four types of madrigal comedies that all made their appearance during the last part of the sixteenth century. (By the way, the first recorded appearance of women on the stage was in 1564. This was significant for the soon-to-come madrigal comedies.)

The first type was basically a loose collection of *separate madrigals united only by the title *of the piece. Vecchi wrote a couple of this type in 1590 and 1592. But, the first listed example in the book I'm reading on it is _Mascarate piacevoli _by Croce (1590).

The second type has its continuity provided both by the *title and the use of some characters throughout *the performance. The first known example is _Il cicalamento delle donne al bucato _by Alessandro Striggio (1567). The only unifying feature of this work is the overarching setting of women chattering at the wash. Vecchi wrote one of this type in 1604.

The third type is just like the second, but the pieces are all based on a *pastoral theme*. First example - _Aminta musicale _by Balsamino (1594).

The final type, and the one of which _L'amfiparnaso_ is the first example (1594) has some *continuity of both plot and character *development.


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## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

Vesteralen said:


> _*The Madrigal Comedy*_
> Apparently there were four types of madrigal comedies that all made their appearance during the last part of the sixteenth century. (By the way, the first recorded appearance of women on the stage was in 1564. This was significant for the soon-to-come madrigal comedies.)
> 
> The first type was basically a loose collection of *separate madrigals united only by the title *of the piece. Vecchi wrote a couple of this type in 1590 and 1592. But, the first listed example in the book I'm reading on it is _Mascarate piacevoli _by Croce (1590).
> ...


This is very cool. You are doing all the homework, I will benefit from your findings when my copy arrives some time next week. Keep up the good work!:tiphat:


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## Vesteralen (Jul 14, 2011)

Located a "like new" copy of this early Vecchi Madrigal Comedy (type 1) from 1590.

When I saw who the performers were, I had to get it.


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## Vesteralen (Jul 14, 2011)

Further reading in the book/score *L'Amfiparnaso - A New Edition of the Music with Historical and Analytical Essays *revealed some interesting facts.

First, Madrigal Comedies in general, and this one in particular, were not really intended to be staged. The composer was writing music to be performed by singers, probably more for their own enjoyment or maybe for a small audience. What was new about this piece was that it attempted to suggest musically a story of sorts that involved specific characters in a kind of progressive action. The actual visuals were more to be imagined with the mind than seen with the eye. Vecchi actually defended the lack of serious character development by indicating that he felt that the performers/audience would be taxed too much if he made the work long enough to allow for that.

Second, over time attempts were made to stage the work (and others like it) by having the singers either to the side, behind or actually shadowing the actors on stage who basically mimed the parts. (There is not a lot of solo singing in this piece. Even when a character is actually meant to be speaking, the singer is accompanied by other vocal parts.) The DVD I've seen, as well as the You Tube clips of the Spanish TV performance both stage the work with singers to the side and actors either between them or to their left miming the parts (except for the lovers' parts, which I'll get to later).

Third, although the score was published in 1597, it was apparently first performed in 1594 making it predate *La Dafne*, which probably can lay claim to being the first real precursor to opera as we know it.


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## deggial (Jan 20, 2013)

cheers for L'Amfiparnaso - I listened to it and liked it quite a bit


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## Vesteralen (Jul 14, 2011)

Hide your eyes, Natalie -

I'm going to make some comments on the DVD









Musically, I thought the performance was great. I have no complaints about the madrigals themselves or the way they were sung.

The introductory contemporary poems read before each scene by Simon Callow were sometimes very clever and sometimes very humorous, and I have no problem with the fact that they did that because Vecchi's instructions were that each scene should be introduced by narrator who would explain the action.

I also did not object to the idea of using a stage setting for the comic pieces and an outdoor filmed pantomime for the lovers' scenes.

However, I do have some complaints. First and foremost, the color was so washed out. Only the one scene filmed at night didn't suffer from a kind of yellow or light green haze. I found that very distracting. I don't know if it was done on purpose or was just the result of amateur camerawork.

I also felt that if they were going to use actors for the lovers' parts, they could have hired a few people who were more professional. I thought I was watching a grade C summer stock cast.

The saddest part of all is that the few YouTube segments from the Spanish TV version were so much better! Just compare the scene with the moneylenders on the DVD to the YT clip. I wish someone would release that Spanish version in a complete form. That would be worth buying.


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