Introduzione a "Drammi comici per musica III 1754-1755"

The six librettos included in the third volume of Goldoni’s “Drammi comici per musica” (in the context of the “Edizione nazionale delle opere di Carlo Goldoni”) date to the years 1754-1755, a crucial period in the career of the Venetian author. The first chapter discusses Goldoni’s ideas on musical dramaturgy as exposed in the preface to “De gustibus non est disputandum” and in other theoretical texts. Each libretto (“De gusibus non est disputandum”, “Il filosofo di campagna”, “Lo speziale”, “Il povero superbo”, “Le nozze” and “La diavolessa”, as well as “Li matti per amore”, not given in print but available on the website www.carlogoldoni.it) is examined in a separate chapter, with special attention for its first musical setting. A final section is devoted to illustrate the fortune of the texts and the transformations to which they were subjected during their large European circulation. The exposition is completed by detailed lists of performaces and singers and an updated bibliography.