The Viennese vogue for opéra-comique 1790-1819
Abstract
In the mid-eighteenth century, Vienna, like other
European cities, began to manifest the influence of
modern French culture; In 1752, a troupe of French
players was appointed to the Austrian court to entertain
the aristocracy. Four years later, links were forged
between the Parisian and Viennese stages via Favart who
corresponded with Count Durazzo in Vienna and sent opera
scores and suggestions about personnel. In 1765 problems
with finance and leadership led to dismissal of Vienna's
first French troupe but others performed there for shorter
periods between 1765 and 1780. Opera-comique was introduced
to Vienna by French players.
Occasional performances of opera-comique in German
translation took place in Vienna during the 1770s. When,
in 1778, the Nationalsingspiel was founded, French opera
formed part of the repertoire because of a lack of good
German works.
A renewed interest in opèra-comique began in about
1790 when fear of revolutionary France and the reigns of
Leopold and Franz led to a return of interest in Italian
opera at the court theatres, and the virtual disappearance
of opêra-comique from its repertoire. Once an aristocratic
entertainment, opera-comique now enjoyed popularity at the
suburban theatres. Many recent and historically important
French operas were performed in Vienna during the next
thirty years, putting Italian opera temporarily out of fashion and having an important influence on the emergent
German Romantic opera. After 1802 the Theater an der Wien
and the court theatres engaged in serious competition. Over
120 French operas were performed in Vienna between 1790 and
1819.
Printed French scores and textbooks were purchased from
Paris; they were hastily translated by salaried members
of the Viennese theatres. Before 1790 Viennese versions
of operas-comiques had usually remained close to the originals.
Later, in order to make them more appealing to Viennese audiences, the opera texts and music were often altered. Authentic
performance was not a concern of the theatres.
After 1803, following successful Viennese premieres
of several great operas by Mehul and Cherubini, Vienna
was flooded with operas by lesser men whose entertaining
texts and tuneful music were good for the box office.
The vogue for French opera caused some resentment
among German musicians, though few contemporary German operas
could match the popularity of the French ones. Opera-comique
reminded a Viennese public nourished during the eighteenth
century mostly on Italian opera, of the literary importance
of opera.
Viennese interest in op6ra-comique began to decline
in
1816 with the rise to fame of Rossini. By 1820 Italian opera
was back in fashion.
Type
Thesis, PhD Doctor of Philosophy
Collections
Items in the St Andrews Research Repository are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.