Comédie-Italienne

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For the current theatre with this name, see La Comédie Italienne.

The actors of the Comédie-Italienne by Nicolas Lancret, early 18th century

Comédie-Italienne or Théâtre-Italien are French names which have been used to refer to Italian-language theatre and opera when performed in France.

The earliest recorded visits by Italian players were

theatre of the Hôtel de Bourgogne
, probably the earliest public theatre to be built in France.

The first official use of the name Comédie-Italienne was in 1680, when it was given to the commedia dell'arte troupe at the Hôtel de Bourgogne, to distinguish it from the French troupe, the Comédie-Française, which was founded that year,[1] and just as the name Théâtre-Français was commonly applied to the latter, Théâtre-Italien was used for the Italians. Over time French phrases, songs, whole scenes, and eventually entire plays were incorporated into the Comédie-Italienne's performances. By 1762 the company was merged with the Opéra-Comique, but the names Comédie-Italienne and Théâtre-Italien continued to be used, even though the repertory soon became almost exclusively French opéra comique. The names were dropped completely in 1801, when the company was merged with the Théâtre Feydeau.

From 1801 to 1878, Théâtre-Italien was used for a succession of Parisian opera companies performing Italian opera in Italian. In 1980 the name

La Comédie-Italienne was used for a theatre in the Montparnasse district of Paris, which presents Italian commedia dell'arte plays in French translation.[2][3]

The Comédie-Italienne in the 17th century

Mohammed Temim, Ambassadeur du Maroc, à la Comédie Italienne (1682), Antoine Coypel
(1661–1722), Versailles

In the 17th century, the historical Comédie-Italienne was supported by the king. At that time, a distinction was made between so-called legitimate theatre, which could be performed in royally-sanctioned theatres, and the more lowbrow street theatre, which did not undergo the scrutiny of royal censors. Italian troupes performed in the

Théâtre Guénégaud, where they continued to perform in alternation until the establishment of the Comédie-Française in 1680, at which time the Italians, now officially the Comédie-Italienne, returned to the Hôtel de Bourgogne, where they performed until the company was disbanded in 1697.[4]

The historical Comédie-Italienne presented to the French-speaking public spectacles performed by professional Italian actors. At first, these actors performed commedia dell'arte in their native Italian. Commedia dell'arte is an improvisational type of theatre; there were no scripts. They had multiple scenarios that they would pick from to perform, but inside that scenario they really did not have anything else planned out. They did however have specific character types, called "stock characters", that became famous and loved by the theatre goers.

Départ des comédiens italiens en 1697, engraving by Louis Jacob of the painting by Watteau

After moving to the Hôtel de Bourgogne in 1680 the troupe began presenting scripted plays by dramatists such as

Palaprat.[5]
Around the same time the troupe became widely popular, King Louis XIV gave the newly formed national theatre of France, the Comedie Francaise, a monopoly on spoken French drama. The royalty saw the troupe's cooperation with French playwrights as a threat and began to consider refusing the troupe their annual pension.

In 1697, a single event caused the King to finalize his decision. The actors had just announced upcoming performances of the play La fausse prude, or The False Hypocrite, a play that directly ridiculed King

Louis XIV of France's wife, Madame de Maintenon
. There is a debate among scholars as to whether or not the play was actually performed or if the play was simply advertised and the King learned of its existence. Regardless, upon his knowledge of the play's existence, the king had the actors sent away and the theatre shut down.

The Comédie-Italienne in the 18th century

After the period of mourning following the death of Louis XIV in 1715, the oppressive atmosphere of religious devotion characteristic of the latter part of his reign began to lift.

Duke of Parma, to send him a troupe of Italian actors to revive the Comédie-Italienne in Paris, which had been disbanded nearly twenty years previous. To avoid some of the difficulties of the earlier troupe, he specified that its leader should be a man of good character and manners. Luigi Riccoboni was chosen, and in a few weeks he assembled a group of ten actors, all of whom were devout Christians.[6]

L'amour au théâtre italien by Watteau

Riccoboni's troupe performed at the

opéras-comiques.[5]

In 1762, the company merged with the

Théâtre de la Foire. The combined company opened at the Bourgogne on 3 February 1762 and continued to perform in the theatre until 4 April 1783, after which they moved to the new Salle Favart.[4] By this time all the Italian players had either retired or returned to Italy, and the traditional Comédie-Italienne had in effect ceased to exist.[5] The name Comédie-Italienne was used less and less and was completely abandoned in 1801, when the company merged with the Théâtre Feydeau.[8]

Italian opera in Paris in the 17th and 18th centuries

The first operas shown in Paris were Italian and were given in the mid-17th century (1645–1662) by Italian singers invited to France by the regent

Egisto ovvero Chi soffre speri, with music by Virgilio Mazzocchi and Marco Marazzoli) was given at the Palais-Royal on 13 February 1646.[12][13] A new Italian opera, Orfeo, with music composed by Luigi Rossi, premiered at the Palais-Royal on 2 March 1647.[14]

During the

Salle des Machines in the Tuileries Palace on 7 February 1662. These early Paris productions of Italian operas were usually tailored to French taste. Ballets with music by French composers were often interpolated between acts. They were also highly elaborate visual spectacles, several with numerous set changes and scenic effects accomplished with stage machinery designed by Giacomo Torelli. The visual spectacle enhanced their popularity with the French, who mostly did not understand Italian.[15]

Italian opera was abandoned in favour of

Académie d'Opéra in 1669. Despite this, over the course of the 18th century, Italian musical performers came to Paris. In particular, in 1752, performances of the opera buffa La serva padrona led to the Querelle des Bouffons
, a debate about the relative superiorities of French and Italian musical traditions.

In 1787, after the particular success of one troupe of Italian singers, came the idea of establishing a resident theatrical company for opera buffa. This initiative became reality in January 1789 with the founding of the

Count of Provence, the king's brother, known at court as Monsieur. They first performed at the Tuileries Palace theatre, before moving to the Théâtre Feydeau. However, in 1792, the Italian troupe departed due to the upheaval of the French Revolution
, but the theatre continued presenting French plays and opéra-comique.

The Théâtre-Italien in the 19th century

The original Salle Favart (drawing by Jean-Baptiste Lallemand)
Salle Louvois, home of the Théâtre-Italien from 1804 to 1808 and 1819 to 1825, designed by Alexandre-Théodore Brongniart[16]

A new Théâtre-Italien, performing Italian opera in Italian, was formed by

Théâtre de l'Odéon, at that time called the "Théâtre de l'Impératrice". They stayed there until 1815.[19]

During this early period the Théâtre-Italien first presented

opera serie by Niccolò Antonio Zingarelli and others.[20]

At the time of the

L'Italiana in Algeri on 1 February 1817 in the first Salle Favart, although the production was so inferior, he was accused of "attempting to sabotage Rossini's reception in Paris".[21]

In 1818, Madame Catalani's privilège, or royal permission to perform, was revoked, and the theatre shut down. It was then decided to hand over administration of the theatre, now known as the Théâtre Royal Italien, to the Academie Royale de Musique (as the

Il barbiere di Siviglia (26 October 1819),[24] Torvaldo e Dorliska (21 November 1820),[25] Otello (5 June 1821),[26] and Tancredi (23 April 1822).[27] His operas were so popular, that some of his Paris premieres were given at the larger Salle Le Peletier, including La gazza ladra (18 September 1821), Elisabetta, regina d'Inghilterra (10 March 1822), Mosè in Egitto (20 October 1822), and La donna del lago (7 September 1824, produced under Rossini's supervision).[28]

Rossini himself had come to Paris by 1 August 1824

Vincenzo Graziani.[23] Paer resumed the directorship in November 1826,[30] and Rossini's attention turned to creating French operas at the Opéra. The Théâtre-Italien's association with the Opéra only lasted until October 1827, when it regained its independence from the crown and lost the appellation "Royal". Paër was replaced as director by Émile Laurent on 2 October.[33]

Premiere of Donizetti's Don Pasquale in 1843 by the Théâtre-Italien at the Salle Ventadour in Paris

Rossini continued to help the Théâtre-Italien to recruit singers, including Maria Malibran, Henriette Sontag, Benedetta Rosmunda Pisaroni, Filippo Galli, Luigi Lablache, Antonio Tamburini, Giovanni Battista Rubini and Giulia Grisi, and to commission operas, including Bellini's I puritani (25 January 1835 at the first Salle Favart[34]), Donizetti's Marino Faliero (12 March 1835 at the first Salle Favart[34]), and Saverio Mercadante's I briganti (22 March 1836).[35]

The Théâtre-Italien settled permanently in the Salle Ventadour in 1841. It saw the premiere of Rossini's Stabat Mater there in 1842. The Théâtre-Italien also produced popular works by Gaetano Donizetti and Giuseppe Verdi, but the theatre was later forced to close in 1878.

Despite the closing of the Théâtre-Italien, operas continued to be performed in Italian in Paris, sometimes at the Théâtre de la Gaîté or the Théâtre du Châtelet, but especially at the Opéra.

Venues of the 19th-century Théâtre-Italien

Theatre[36] Dates used Notes
Salle Olympique 31 May 1801 – 13 January 1802 Located on the rue de la Victoire.[37]
Salle Favart (1st) 17 January 1802 – 19 May 1804
Salle Louvois
 9 July 1804 – 12 June 1808[38]
Salle de l'Odéon
(2nd) 		16 June 1808 – 30 September 1815
Salle Favart (1st) 2 October 1815 – 20 April 1818  
Salle Louvois 20 March 1819 – 8 November 1825
Salle Favart (1st) 12 November 1825 – 14 January 1838 Destroyed by fire 14 January 1838.
Salle Ventadour 30 January 1838 – 31 March 1838
Salle de l'Odéon (3rd) October 1838 – 31 March 1841
Salle Ventadour 2 October 1841 – 28 June 1878 Final performance 28 June 1878.

The modern Comédie-Italienne

The present-day theatre is La Comédie Italienne, situated on the rue de la Gaîté [fr], where it was established in 1980 by the director Attilio Maggiulli.

Notes

  1. ^ Hartnoll 1983, p. 168; Roy 1995, p. 233.
  2. ^ "Historique du Théâtre" at La Comédie Italienne website.
  3. ^ Forman 2010, p. 82.
  4. ^ a b Wild 1989, pp. 100–101.
  5. ^ a b c d Roy 1995, p. 234.
  6. ^ Brenner 1961, pp. 1–2.
  7. ^ Brenner 1961, pp. 2–3, 47.
  8. ^ Hartnoll 1983, pp. 169–170.
  9. ^ Powell 2000, pp. 21–22; Anthony 1992.
  10. ^ Powell 2000, p. 22; Anthony 1992.
  11. ^ Powell 2000, p. 22; Anthony 1992; Isherwood 1973, p. 121.
  12. ^ Nestola 2007, pp. 125–146.
  13. ^ Naudeix 2022, pp. 219–220.
  14. ^ Powell 2000, pp. 22–23; Anthony 1992.
  15. ^ Powell 2000, pp. 57, 148; Anthony 1992.
  16. ^ Wild 1989, pp. 229–232.
  17. ^ Charlton 1992.
  18. ^ Wild 1989, p. 195.
  19. ^ Wild 1989, p. 196.
  20. ^ Johnson 1992; Loewenberg 1978, cols 426 (Figaro), 452 (Don Giovanni), 478 (Così), 603 (I virtuosi ambulanti).
  21. ^ Johnson 1992; Loewenberg 1978, col 633; Simeone 2000, p. 186.
  22. ^ Wild 1989, p. 197.
  23. ^ a b Johnson 1992.
  24. OCLC 456913691
    ), gives the date as 23 September 1819, but Loewenberg 1978, col 643, says this is erroneous, rather it was actually performed on 26 October 1819.
  25. OCLC 461200086
    ; Loewenberg 1978, col 642.
  26. OCLC 79827616
    ) gives the date of the Paris premiere as 31 May 1821, Loewenberg 1978, col 649, gives 5 June 1821.
  27. OCLC 458651003
    ) gives the date as 20 April 1822, but Loewenberg 1978, col 629, gives 23 April 1822.
  28. ^ Johnson 1992; Loewenberg 1978, cols 641 (Elisabetta, regina d'Inghilterra), 654 (La gazza ladra), 657 (Mosè in Egitto), 665 (La donna del lago); Gossett 2001.
  29. ^ Gossett 2001.
  30. ^ a b c Wild 1989, p. 198.
  31. ^ Johnson 1992; Loewenberg 1978, col 696.
  32. ^ Johnson 1992; Loewenberg 1978, cols 682 (Zelmira), 686 (Semiramide); Simeone 2000, p. 186 (Semiramide at the first Salle Favart).
  33. ^ Wild 1989, pp. 198–199.
  34. ^ a b Simeone 2000, p. 186.
  35. ^ Johnson 1992; Loewenberg 1978, cols 764 (I puritani), 779 (I briganti).
  36. ^ The information in the table is from Wild 1989, pp. 194–209; Charlton, 1992, pp. 867, 870–871.
  37. ^ Barbier (1995), pp. 174–175.
  38. ^ Charlton, 1992, p. 867, gives the date 4 August 1808.

Bibliography

External links

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