La Serva Padrona
La Serva Padrona(The Maid as Mistress), composed by Giovanni Battista Pergolesi, was a one-act Italian opera buffa that is considered to be the archetypal opera buffa. The librettist of this opera buffa was done by Gennaro Antonio Frederico. The premiere of La Serva Padrona took place in Naples at the Teatro San Bartolomeo on September 5, 1733. La Serva Padrona is very often seen as an exemplary piece that bridged the gap from the Baroque to the Classical period.
Originally, La Serva Padrona was meant to be an intermezzo between the acts of Pergolesi’s Il Prigionier Superbo(The Proud Prisoner) which is an opera seria. La Serva Padrona turned out so well that eventually Pergolesi’s two pieces were able to distinguish themselves and were separated to make an opera on its own. Il Prigionier Superbo was pretty unproductive in its day and is not a recognized title by any means in operatic repertoire of today. La Serva Padrona did go on to achieve fame throughout Europe for years and years after its first performance. A performance of this forty five minute opera in Paris in 1752 sparked the “Querelle des Boufons”, which was a battle between the musical philosophies of the French opera and Italian opera. It provoked a war of words between critics of the time.
The setting of La Serva Padrona took place in a small valley in Thessalia in a dressing room in current time as when it was performed. There were three character roles in this short opera buffa; Uberto(Bass), Serpina(Soprano), and Vestpone. Uberto was an elderly bachelor who was played by Gioacchino Corrado in the premiere, Serpina was a tyrannical maid to Uberto who was played by Laura Monti in the premiere, and Vespone was a mute servant to Uberto. The libretto is based on Jacopo Angello Nelli’s play “La Serva Padrona”.
The plot starts off with Uberto as he gets very angry and impatient with Serpina is maid because she has not brought him his chocolate. Serpina has become so haughty that she thinks she has become the mistress of Uberto’s house. Uberto is fed up with Serpina’s attitude so he orders Vespone to find him a woman to marry him so he can just get rid of his tyrannical maid. Serpina hears of Uberto’s plan and convinces Vespone to not do this and to trick Uberto into marrying her. Vepone gives in to her plan and dresses up as a military man named Tempesta that will be marrying Serpina to make Uberto jealous. The so called Tempesta who is actually Vespone arrives to Uberto’s house and gives Uberto two options, either he pays him a dowry of four thousand crowns or just marries Serpina. Uberto refuses to pay and chooses to marry Serpina. Serpina and Vespone then reveal their trick; but Uberto realizes he has loved Serpina from day one. They end up getting married and Serpina ends up being the true mistress after all.
This opera buffa was able to become so popular and outstanding in its time and it started out as being just a little intermezzo for a bigger opera seria. Pergolesi was able to make the music of this opera sound so effective in telling, helping, and advancing the plot in many ways. I really do believe that this was a pivotal piece between the Baroque and Classical periods.
Sources:
UNT, Initials. (2008, July 26). La serva padrona. Retrieved from http://www.library.unt.edu/music/special-collections/vrbr/browse/la-serva-padrona-1804-giovanni-battista-pergolesi
Icking, W. (2010, November 2). Pergolesi's opera la serva padrona. Retrieved from http://www.suite101.com/content/pergolesi-opera-la-serva-padrona-a63677
Payne, M. (2010). Concise history of western music. New York, New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.
