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Overview

Synopsis

Bogus astrologer, Ecclitico, is deeply in love with Clarice, but her father, Bonafede, is very protective of his daughters and wants to secure good marriages for them. When Ecclitico learns that Bonafede is particularly interested in astrology, he devises a plan to persuade Bonafede to give him Clarice’s hand in marriage. With the help of his friend Ernesto, who is in love with Bonafede’s oldest daughter Flaminia, and the servant Cecco, who is in love with Bonafede’s maid, Lisetta, Ecclitico makes Bonafede believe that there is a world on the moon. He persuades Bonafede that they must go and meet the Emperor of the moon, and gives him a sleeping draught, telling him it is a potion that will make him light enough to float to the moon.

When he wakes up in Ecclitico’s garden, Bonafede is convinced he has travelled to the moon. Ecclitico has filled the garden with machinery and scenery to convince him that the world is transformed. Cecco disguises himself as the Emperor, and Ernesto is one of the Emperor’s esteemed knights. But will they convince Bonafede that the customs on the moon require that his daughters and maid marry these mysterious men, right here on the moon, or will Bonafede realise it is all a trick?

Haydn’s Il mondo della luna is a hilarious opera buffa, with great scope for imaginative directing and design as the characters recreate an entire moonscape, complete with resident moon-people, called ‘lunatics’, and their own alien language.

Show Information

Music
Joseph Haydn
Category
Opera
Age Guidance
Youth (Y)/General Audiences (G)
Number of Acts
3
First Produced
1777
Genres
Comedy
Settings
Fantasy/Imaginary, Multiple Settings, Period
Time & Place
A house with an observatory tower, Night of the full moon
Cast Size
medium
Orchestra Size
Medium
Dancing
Some Dance
Licensor
None/royalty-free
Ideal For
College/University, Professional Opera, Mostly Male Cast, Includes Adult, Young Adult, Mature Adult Characters, Medium Cast

Context


Plot


Characters

Name Part Size Gender Vocal Part

Ecclitico

Lead

Male

Tenor

Bonafede

Lead

Male

Bass

Clarice

Lead

Female

Soprano

Flaminia

Lead

Female

Soprano

Ernesto

Supporting

Either Gender

Mezzo-Soprano, Countertenor, Contralto

Lisetta

Supporting

Female

Mezzo-Soprano, Contralto

Cecco

Supporting

Male

Tenor

Gli Scolari / 4 Cavalieri (Chorus)

Ensemble

Male

Tenor, Baritone, Bass

Songs

Act One

  • No. 1 Sinfonia

Scene 1

  • No. 2a Chorus ‘O luna lucente’ - Ecclitico, Scholars
  • No. 2b Recitative ‘Basta, basta, discepoli’ - Ecclitico
  • No. 2c ‘Prendiamo, fratelli’ - Scholars
  • No. 3 Recitative’ Oh le gran belle cose’ - Ecclitico

Scene 2

  • Recitative ‘Si puol entrar?’ - Bonafede, Ecclitico

Scene 3

  • No. 4 Chorus ‘Servitor obbligato’ - Ecclitico, Scholars, Bonafede
  • No. 5 Recitative ‘Olà, Claudio, Pasquino’ - Ecclitico
  • No. 6a Interlude
  • No. 6b Recitative ‘Il signor Bonafede’ - Ecclitico, Bonafede
  • No. 6c Cavatina ‘Ho veduto una ragazza’ - Bonafede
  • No. 6d Recitative ‘Se una ragazza’ - Ecclitico
  • No. 6e Interlude
  • No. 6f Recitative ‘Ho veduto, ho veduto’ - Bonafede, Ecclitico
  • No. 6g Cavatina ‘Ho veduto un buon marito’ - Bonafede
  • No. 6h Recitative ‘Volesse il ciel’ - Ecclitico
  • No. 6i Interlude
  • No. 6j Recitative ‘Oh questa assai mi piace!’ - Bonafede, Ecclitico
  • No. 6k Cavatina ‘Ho veduto dall'amante’ - Bonafede
  • No. 7 Recitative ‘E qui ancora si useria’ - Ecclitico, Bonafede
  • No. 8 Aria ‘La ragazza col vecchione’ - Bonafede

Scene 4

  • No. 9 Recitative ‘Io la caccia’ - Ecclitico, Ernesto, Cecco
  • No. 10 Aria ‘Un poco di denaro’ - Ecclitico

Scene 5

Scene 6

  • No. 13 Recitative ‘Qualche volta il padron’ - Cecco
  • No. 14 Aria ‘Mi fanno ridere’ - Cecco

Scene 7

Scene 8

  • No. 17 Recitative ‘Brava, signora figlia!’ - Bonafede, Clarice
  • No. 18 Aria ‘Son fanciulla da marito’ - Clarice

Scene 9

  • No. 19 Recitative ‘Se mandarla potessi’ - Bonafede, Lisetta
  • No. 20 Aria ‘Una donna come me’ - Lisetta

Scene 10

  • No. 21 Recitative, Accompagnato ‘È poi la mia Lisetta’ - Bonafede, Ecclitico
  • No. 22 Finale ‘Vado, vado; volo, volo’ - Clarice, Lisetta, Ecclitico, Bonafede

Act Two

  • No. 23 Sinfonia

Scene 1

  • No. 24 Recitative ‘Ecco qui Bonafede’ - Ecclitico, Ernesto

Scene 2

  • Recitative ‘Bonafede ancor dorme’ - Ecclitico, Bonafede
  • No. 25 Interlude
  • No. 26 Recitative ‘Bravi, bravissimi!’ - Bonafede, Ecclitico
  • No. 27 Ballet
  • No. 28 Recitative ‘Oh ehe ninfe gentili!’ - Bonafede , Ecclitico

Scene 3

  • No. 29 Chorus ‘Uomo felice’ - Ecclitico, Bonafede, 4 Cavalieri
  • No. 30 Recitative ‘Come avrò a contenermi?’ - Bonafede, Ecclitico
  • No. 31 Aria ‘Voi lo wallpaper’ - Ecclitico

Scene 4

  • No. 32 Recitative ‘Parmi ehe dica il vero’ - Bonafede

Scene 5

  • No. 33 Interlude
  • No. 34 Recitative ‘Umilmente m'inchino’ - Bonafede, Cecco, Ernesto
  • No. 35 Aria ‘Un avaro suda e pena’ - Cecco

Scene 6

  • No. 36 Recitative ‘Voi avete due figlie?’ - Ernesto, Bonafede
  • No. 37 Aria ‘Qualche volta non fa male’ - Ernesto

Scene 7

  • No. 38 Recitative ‘Echo Io resto stupefatto’ - Bonafede
  • No. 39 Aria ‘Che mondo amabile’ - Bonafede

Scene 8

  • No. 40 Recitative ‘Dove mi conducete?’ - Lisetta, Ecclitico

Scene 9

  • Recitative ‘Quello é il padrone?’ - Lisetta, Bonafede
  • No. 41 Duet ‘Non aver di me sospetto’ - Lisetta, Bonafede

Scene 10

  • No. 42a Recitative ‘Olà, presto, fermate’ - Cecco, Bonafede, Lisetta
  • No. 42b Recitativo accompagnato ‘Cecco Lei è mio’ - Lisetta
  • No. 42c Aria ‘Se lo comanda’ - Lisetta, Cecco
  • No. 43 Recitative ‘Eccelso imperator’ - Bonafede, Cecco

Scene 11

  • No. 44 Interlude
  • No. 45 Recitative ‘Figlie, mie care figlie’ - Bonafede, Flaminia, Clarice, Cecco, Ernesto
  • No. 46 Aria ‘Se la mia stella’ - Flaminia

Scene 12

  • No. 47 Recitative ‘Mia sorella sta bene’ - Clarice, Cecco, Ecclitico, Bonafede
  • No. 48 Aria ‘Quanta gente che sospira’ - Clarice

Scene 13

  • No. 49 Recitative ‘Ed io son stata qui’ - Lisetta, Cecco, Bonafede

Scene 14

  • Recitativo ‘Ecco già preparato’ - Ecclitico

Scene 15

  • No. 50 Finale ‘Al comando tuo lunatico’ - Lisetta, Ernesto, Ecclitico, Cecco, Bonafede

Scene 16

  • Finale (cont.) ‘A questa coppia amabile’ - Clarice, Flaminia, Lisetta, Ernesto, Ecclitico, Cecco, Bonafede

Act Three

  • No. 51 Sinfonia

Scene 1

  • No. 52 Recitative ‘Voglio sortir, cospetto!’ - Bonafede, Ecclitico, Ernesto, Cecco

Scene 2

  • Recitative ‘Sposino’ - Clarice , Ecclitico
  • No. 53 Duet ‘Un certo ruscelletto’ - Clarice, Ecclitico

Final Scene

  • No. 54 Recitative ‘Vien qui, figlia, m'abbraccia’ - Bonafede, Clarice, Flaminia, Cecco, Ernesto, Ecclitico, Lisetta
  • No. 55 Finale ‘Dal Mondo della Luna’ - Clarice, Flaminia, Lisetta, Ernesto, Ecclitico, Cecco, Bonafede

A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.

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Scenes

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Guide Written By:

Wendy Silvester

Wendy Silvester

Singer and vocal coach based in the UK.