Costruire la regalità. Feste teatrali e cerimonie con musica a Napoli tra Giuseppe e Gioacchino (1806-1815)

Abstract

The article examines the occasional genres flourished during the French domination in Naples (1806-1815). The new Napoleonic dinasty needed to obtain public consent, and so adopted old and new strategies of communication. In fact, the study of many different sources (librettos, scores, newspapers) indicates a fascinating coexistence of tradition and innovation. The period taken into consideration still offers many examples of traditional cantatas performed in theatres and aristocratic palaces. Together with these conventional pièces, though, it is possible to observe original and innovative creations, such as choreographic actions, prose comedies with incidental music and, above all, large open-air events hosted in public spaces. Some of these experiences can be connected with specific French traditions born during the Revolution. The emergence of a new and more varied audience explains many of the peculiar solutions adopted during the reigns of Joseph Bonaparte and Joachim Murat.