Shaping Aesthetics and Narratives in the Operatic Tradition: The Role of Private Law

The scope of the paper is to analyze the different ways and methods through which concepts and elements of private law (contracts, wills, donations, etc.) are used, in a selected number of operas belonging to the “Operatic Canon”, in order to shape its narrative and its aesthetics. Building upon extensive research previously conducted by the Author, different approaches will be analyzed and commented upon, in order to discuss how legal concepts and institutions are capable of affecting, in different ways, the text, its format and structure, and the way with which certain meanings are conveyed upon performance. The main approaches discussed are the following: Firstly, legal topics as narrative cornerstones: this approach is typical of those texts where a specific legal topic, grounded in a specific legal system (be it that of the librettist, the composer, or of the society where they operate) is used as a fundamental element of the dramatic structure. This approach can be seen, for instance, in works such as La sonnambula (Bellini), La traviata (Verdi), or L’elisir d’amore (Donizetti). Secondly, legal topics as a means to re-contextualize the narrative context: this approach can be seen in works where a long gone-by legal tradition, rooted in the past, is used in order to “retell” a story, albeit filtered through contemporary forms of discourse. This approach can be seen, for instance, in Gianni Schicchi (Puccini). Thirdly, legal topics as the foundation of the Author’s aesthetics: Richard Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen is the outmost, and unsurpassed model to be considered. While it has been approached from different angles, the Ring is clearly structured around the Author’s philosophy of the relevance of Law (in particular, Contract Law), informing its universalistic vision, far beyond, or regardless of, a specific legal tradition or system. Fourthly, legal topics as a mirror of contemporary society: this approach can be seen where a certain legal topic, always in the field of private law, represents the narrative of a contemporary legal issue, typical of the period when the opera was written, or performed for the first time. The relevant topic has been, in the meantime, superseded by subsequent legislative evolution, and “speaks” today to the audiences in a disfigured way: this approach is typical of works such as Il matrimonio segreto by Cimarosa. Some examples can also be found in the twentieth Century repertoire. Fifthly, legal topics, finally, may be used as a purely dramaturgical expedient, often disfigured or transfigured: the operatic Canon is full of such examples that include works such as La cambiale di matrimonio (Rossini), or the frequent recourse to the characters of Notaries or “legal doctors” in the Opera buffa tradition (including Mozart’s Così fan tutte), or certain operas of the Gilbert & Sullivan repertoire. A final paragraph, with some relevant Conclusions, summarizes and closes the paper.