Goldoni, Carlo (EN)

Goldoni Carlo, *25 February 1707 Venice, †6 or 7 March 1793 Paris, Italian playwright and librettist. Initially associated with Venice, he grew up in an atmosphere of love for the fine arts, especially the theatre, for which he began writing in 1732, at first only sporadically but with success (The Servant of Two Masters, 1745). Professionally active as a lawyer, he devoted himself entirely to the theatre only from 1748 onward; by 1762 he had written more than 100 comedies, among them such celebrated works as Mirandolina (1752) and The Boors (1760). Goldoni’s attempt to reform the Italian theatre brought him fame and success, but also bitterness and a sense of defeat. Unable to withstand the hostile attacks of his opponents, (led by Carlo Gozzi), he decided to leave Venice and settle in Paris, where he remained for the rest of his life, writing plays for the Comédie-Italienne, among others, also in French. These works continued his reformist ideas, though in a less consistent form. As a result of the French Revolution, Goldoni lost the royal stipend granted to him by Louis XVI, and he spent the last years of his life in poverty. During his stay in France he wrote his memoirs, (Mémoires pour servir à l’histoire de sa vie et à celle de son théâtre, Paris 1787; Polish edition, Warsaw 1958), the principal source for the study of Goldoni’s creative biography against the broader panorama of contemporary theatre.

Goldoni, often called the Italian Molière, exerted a considerable influence on the history of theatre. Contrary to the attacks of his opponents, he did not completely break with the tradition of commedia dell’arte, continuing certain principles of the traditional improvised theatre. Goldoni’s reform, which emphasized naturalness, simplicity, and realism, concerned both the literary and dramatic structure of his works (replacing the traditional characters of commedia dell’arte with contemporary figures shown in everyday situations, speaking in dialect, and endowed with greater psychological depth) and acting itself (the abandonment of masks crude elements of improvisation, the requirement of respect for the written text, etc.). Goldoni also wrote about 85 opera librettos (including 70 drammi giocosi). Performed with music – especially by B. Galuppi (20 operas) and N. Piccinni (5 operas) – they enjoyed great success on many European stages in the second half of the 18th century. The famous La Cecchina ossia La buona figliuola (1760), with music by N. Piccinni, became a contemporary model of the opera buffa style; among Galuppi’s works, Il mondo della luna (1750) and Il filosofo di campagna (1754) achieved particular success.

The popularity of Goldoni as a librettist in the 18th century is demonstrated by the extensive list of musical settings based on his texts. In the 20th century Goldoni’s comedies once again inspired composers, especially Italian ones; among the enduring works of the comic opera repertoire are those of E. Wolf-Ferrari, including Le donne curiose (1903) and I quattro rusteghi (1906).

Editions: Carlo Goldoni. Commedie, ed. G. B. Pasquali, 17 vols., Venice 1760–1778; Collezione completa delle commedie del Signor Carlo Goldoni, 46 vols., Venice 1817–22; Tutte le opere di Carlo Goldoni, ed. G. Ortolani, 13 vols., Verona 1935–56 (opera librettos in vols 10, 11 and 12); Komedie… Carla Goldoniego, trans. Z. Jachimecka et al., Warsaw 1957.

Literature: Alphabetisches Verzeichnis der Stücke in Versen aus den dramatischen Werken von Zeno, Metastasio und Goldoni, ed. A. Wotquenne, Leipzig 1905; E. Maddalena Libretti del Goldoni e d’altri, “Rivista Musicale Italiana” 1900; C. Musatti Drammi musicali di Goldoni…, “L’ateneo Veneto” XXI, 1898, and XXV, 1902; G. Ortolani Della vita e dell’ arte di Carlo Goldoni, Venice 1907, G. Bustico Drammi, cantate, intermezzi musicali di Carlo Goldoni, “Rivista della biblioteche e degli archivi” III, 1925; D. de Paoli Goldoni librettista, “Il Veltro” I–II, 1957; M. Brahmer Goldoni in Polonia, «Civiltá Veneziana Studi. Studi Goldoniani» VI, Venice 1959; R. Bonvicini Goldoni e l’opera comica, “La Scala”, Milan 1961; H. Wirth Carlo Goldoni und die deutsche Oper, in: celebratory publication for H. Albrecht, Kassel 1962; K. Żaboklicki Carlo Goldoni, Warsaw 1984.