| Abstract [eng] |
The article examines the language used in some Italian opera librettos in XVII- XVIII centuries. The analysis was carried out with the support of two software tools: an automatic translator from Florentine vernacular language to modern Italian language, created by the author, and a software tool, available on internet, helping to find common phrases while comparing two texts. It is well known that from the outset of opera, the librettists mainly used the Florentine vernacular language, considered by poets and scholars as a model of beauty and balance. At the same time the language used in opera librettos follow some other basic rules described in more details in this article. The poetical structures and, sometimes, the choice of the language itself demonstrates that poetry used in librettos was also influenced by the music. Opera’s role in the society distinguished librettos from works of literature. Operas became very popular among several social classes and at the same time became an economical resource for many theaters in the Italian peninsula, while the literature had eventually less economic impact. This sometimes could have changed the language of librettos, adapting it to the needs of emergent social classes like the merchants, the economic status of whom significantly improved from XIV century. The author shows that, even if several features of librettos were changing along centuries, their language was almost always related with the language of literature. Even if writing a libretto sometimes was dictated by compromises with the market of operas and the requests of audience, nevertheless, librettos can be considered as a part of the Italian literature. |
