Farsa (

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

, literally: ''farce'', plural: ''farse'') is a genre of

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

, associated with

Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...

in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. It is also sometimes called ''farsetta''. Farse were normally one-act operas, sometimes performed together with short ballets. Many of the recorded productions were at the

Teatro San Moisè The Teatro San Moisè was a theatre and opera house in Venice, active from 1620 to 1818. It was in a prominent location near the Palazzo Giustinian and the church of San Moisè at the entrance to the Grand Canal. History Built by the San Bernaba ...

in Venice, often during Carnival. Musically they may have derived from the two-act

dramma giocoso ''Dramma giocoso'' (Italian, literally: drama with jokes; plural: ''drammi giocosi'') is a genre of opera common in the mid-18th century. The term is a contraction of ''dramma giocoso per musica'' and describes the opera's libretto (text). The g ...

, although there were other influences, including the French '' comédie mêlée d'ariettes''. Few of the original 18th-century farse are now performed. The

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

composer

Johann Simon Mayr Johann(es) Simon Mayr (also spelled Majer, Mayer, Maier), also known in Italian as Giovanni Simone Mayr or Simone Mayr (14 June 1763 – 2 December 1845), was a German composer. His music reflects the Transition from Classical to Romantic mus ...

, who lived in Northern Italy, wrote about 30 farse.

Rossini Gioachino Antonio Rossini (29 February 1792 – 13 November 1868) was an Italian composer of the late Classical and early Romantic eras. He gained fame for his 39 operas, although he also wrote many songs, some chamber music and piano p ...

wrote five examples: ''

La cambiale di matrimonio ''La cambiale di matrimonio'' (; English language, English: ''The Bill of Marriage'' or ''The Marriage Contract'') is a one-act operatic farsa, farsa comica by Gioachino Rossini to a libretto by Gaetano Rossi. The libretto was based on the play b ...

'' (1810), ''

L'inganno felice ''L'inganno felice'' (''The Fortunate Deception'') is an opera in one act by Gioachino Rossini with a libretto by Giuseppe Maria Foppa. Rossini called his opera a ''farsa'', although as Richard Osborne explains: "Its designation as a ''farsa'' i ...

'' (1812), '' La scala di seta'' (1812), ''

Il Signor Bruschino ''Il signor Bruschino, ossia Il figlio per azzardo'' ''(Signor Bruschino, or The Accidental Son)'' is a one act operatic farce ( farsa giocosa per musica) by Gioachino Rossini to a libretto by Giuseppe Maria Foppa, based upon the 1809 play ''Le ...

'' (1813), and ''

Adina Adina may refer to: Places India * Adina Deer Park, a deer sanctuary in Malda district, West Bengal * Adina Kottige, a village in Karnataka * Adina Mosque, a ruined mosque in West Bengal Other countries * Adina, Ghana, a town in the ...

'' (1818). In addition, his ''

L'occasione fa il ladro ''L’occasione fa il ladro, ossia Il cambio della valigia'' (English language, English: ''Opportunity Makes a Thief, or The Exchanged Suitcase'') is an opera (''burletta per musica'' or ''farsa'') in one act by Gioachino Rossini to an Italian lan ...

'' (1812), though called a ''

Burletta In theater and music history, a burletta (Italian, meaning "little joke", sometimes burla or burlettina) is a brief comic opera. In eighteenth-century Italy, a burletta was the comic intermezzo between the acts of an ''opera seria''. The extended w ...

per musica'', is a farsa in all but name.

References

*''Farsa'' by David Bryant, in 'The

New Grove Dictionary of Opera ''The New Grove Dictionary of Opera'' is an encyclopedia of opera. It is the largest work on opera in English, and in its printed form, amounts to 5,448 pages in four volumes. The dictionary was first published in 1992 by Macmillan Reference, L ...

', ed. Stanley Sadie (London, 1992) {{Opera genres Opera genres Italian opera terminology