L’intermezzo, Napoli e l’Europa

Abstract

The essay is an attempt to summarize the most up-to-date knowledge related to the history of the comic intermezzo. Some crucial examples of the Neapolitan scenic tradition are analyzed in order to highlight the progressive emancipation of comic scenes. An examination of the main dramatic and musical characteristics of the genre follows. The last part of the article concerns the European circulation of the Italian creations, with special attention to the famous "querelle des bouffons", which broke out in the mid-eighteenth century Paris following the performance of Giovambattista Pergolesi's "La serva padrona".