journal article·2020-07-03Open access

Italian-Style Opera Houses: A Historical Review

Dario D’Orazio

Applied Sciences· Volume 10· Issue 13

Abstract

Attending an opera involves a multi-sensory evaluation (acoustical, visual, and more), cultural background and other emotional parameters. The present work aims to investigate the historical development of Italian-style opera houses, from the 16th century until today. Called “Italian” due to their origin, they developed thanks to the mutual influence of the genre and the building characteristics. Furthermore, the acoustics of historical opera houses is now considered as intangible cultural heritage, so it should be known and preserved. The paper addressed the state-of-the-art literature—most of which was proposed in Italian—which can be driven easily by the sharing of historical and contemporary knowledge.
Source: crossref · Quality: baseline

Research context

OpenAlex topics: Hearing Loss and Rehabilitation · Music and Audio Processing · Music Technology and Sound Studies

SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.

Affiliations

Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Bologna, 40136 Bologna, Italy

References (100+)

Show source-provided references
1. Howard, D., and Moretti, L. (2006). The state of architectural acoustics in the late renaissance. Architettura e Musica Nella Venezia del Rinascimento, B. Mondadori.
2. The Acoustics of the Teatro Olimpico in Vicenza
3. Scamozzi, V. (1615). L’idea Della Architettura Universale (About of Universal Architecture), Expensis Auctoris. (In Italian).
4. Prodi, N., and Pompoli, R. (2000, January 16–20). The acoustics of three Italian historical theatres: The early days of modern performance spaces. Proceedings of the Tecniacustica 2000, Madrid, Spain.
5. The acoustics of Renaissance Theatres in Italy10.3813/AAA.918858 ↗
6. The exegesis of Vitruvius and the creation of theatrical spaces in Renaissance Ferrara
7. Exploring the Acoustics of Ancient Open-Air Theatres
8. Bondin, N. (1746). Teatro Antico. Ragionamento Sopra la Forma e la Struttura (Ancient Theatre. Reasoning on Form and Structure), (n.p.). (In Italian).
9. Damun, J. (1772). Prospectus du Noveau Theatre Tracé sur les Principes des Grecs et des Romains (Project of a New Theatre Based on Greek and Roman Principles), Lambert. (In French).
10. Johnson, E.J. (2018). Inventing the Opera House: Theater Architecture in Renaissance and Baroque Italy, Cambridge University Press.10.1017/9781108377669 ↗
11. The effect of visual and auditory cues on seat preference in an opera theater10.1121/1.2912435 ↗
12. Glixon, B., and Glixon, J. (2006). Inventing the Business of Opera. The Impresario and His Work in Seventeenth-Century, Oxford University Press.10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195154160.001.0001 ↗
13. Production, consumption and political function of seventeenth-century Italian opera10.1017/S0261127900000450 ↗
14. Rosand, E. (2007). Opera in Seventeenth-Century Venice: The Creation of a Genre, University of California Press.
15. Bordone, C., and Sacerdote, G. (1995, January 19–21). Acoustic problems of boxes of opera houses. Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Acoustics and Musical Research (CIARM95), Ferrara, Italy. (In Italian).
16. Ivanovich, C. (1688). Memorie Teatrali di Venezia (Theatrical memories of Venice), N. Pezzana.
17. Galli Bibiena, F. (1711). L’architettura Civile Preparata su la Geometria e Ridotta alle Prospettive (Civil Architecture: Geometry and Perspective), Paolo Monti. (In Italian).
18. Acoustics of a selection of famous 18th-Century opera houses: Versailles, Markgräfliches, Drottningholm, Schweitzingen10.1121/1.2933321 ↗
19. Cervellati, P.L. (1986). II Rossini di Lugo: Sul Restauro di un Celebre Teatro (The Rossini in Lugo: On the Restoration of a Famous Theatre), Nuova Alfa Editoriale. (In Italian).
20. Acoustic measurements in eleven Italian opera houses: Correlations between room criteria and considerations on the local evolution of a typology10.1016/j.buildenv.2015.07.026 ↗
21. Boxes and sound quality in an Italian opera house10.1006/jsvi.1999.2692 ↗
22. Tronchin, L., Shimokura, R., and Tarabusi, V. (2006, January 26–28). Spatial sound characteristics in the Theatre Comunale in Bologna, Italy. Proceedings of the 9th Western Pacific Acoustics Conference, Seoul, Korea.
23. D’Orazio, D., Fratoni, G., Rovigatti, A., and Garai, M. (2020). A virtual orchestra to qualify the acoustics of historical opera houses. Build. Acoust.10.1177/1351010X20912501 ↗
24. The “Teatro dei Quattro Cavalieri” and the work of A. Galli Bibiena in Pavia
25. Magrini, A., and Ricciardi, P. (2011, January 23). Acoustic characterization of the Teatro Sociale di Como e del Teatro Fraschini. Proceedings of the Opera houses of the Unity of Italy, Venice, Italy. (In Italian).
26. Iannace, G., and Maffei, L. (2011, January 23). Acoustic characterization of the Teatro Mercadante. Proceedings of the Opera Houses of the Unity of Italy, Venice, Italy. (In Italian).
27. Towards Italian Opera Houses: A review of acoustic design in pre-Sabine scholars10.3390/acoustics1010015 ↗
28. Carini Motta, F. (1972). Treaty about the Structure of the Theatres and of the Scenes, republished in Il Polifilo. (In Italian).
29. Algarotti, F. (1764). Saggio Sopra L’Opera in Musica (Essay on Opera), Marco Coltellini. [2nd ed.]. (In Italian).
30. Riccati, G. (1790). Della Costruzione De’ Teatri Secondo il Costume D’Italia: Vale a Dire Divisi in Piccole Logge (About the Construction of Theatres According to the Italian Style, i.e., with Small Boxes), Remondini from Venice. (In Italian).
31. Memmo, A. (1790). Semplici Lumi Tendenti a Render Cauti I Soli Interessati nel Teatro da Erigersi Nella Parocchia di S Fantino in Venezia […] (Simple Hints for Those Who Are Interested in the Theatre to Build in the Parish of S. Fantino in Venice), (n.p.). (In Italian).
32. Patte, P. (1782). Essai sur L’architecture Théatrale, ou, De L’ordonnance la Plus Avantageuse à Une Salle de Spectacles, Relativement aux Principes de L’optique et de L’acoustique: Avec un Examen des Principaux Téatres de l’Europe, et une Analyse des écrits les plus Importans sur Cette Matiere (Essay on Theatre Architecture, or on the Most Advantageous Design of a Performance Hall, and an Analysis of the Most Important Writings on This Topic), Moutard. (In French).
33. Morelli, C. (1780). Pianta e Spaccato del Nuovo Teatro d’Imola (Plan and Section of the New Theatre of Imola), Casaletti. (In Italian).
34. Braham, A. (1980). The Architecture of the French Enlightenment, Thames and Hudson.
35. Arnaldi, E. (1762). Idea di un Teatro Nelle Principali Sue Parti Simile A’teatri Antichi All’uso Moderno Accomodato (Idea of a Theatre in Its Principal Parts Similar to Ancient Theatres Arranged for the Modern Use), Veronese. (In Italian).
36. Milizia, F. (1794). Trattato Completo, Formale e Materiale del Teatro (About the Theatre), Stamperia Pasquali. (In Italian).
37. Ledoux, C.N. (1804). L’architecture Considerée sour le Rapport de l’Art, des Moeurs et de la Legislation…(The Architecture Considered through the Connections with Art, Traditions and Law), Perroneau. (In French).
38. Rosenau, H. (1953). Architecture, Essai sur l’art (Architecture, Essay on Art), Tiranti. (In French).
39. Barbieri, P., and Tronchin, L. (2011). L’impostazione acustica dei teatri nei progetti del primo neoclassicismo Italiano (1762–1772), (The Acoustical Structure of Theatres in the First Italian Neoclassical Projects). Francesco Milizia e il Teatro del suo Tempo Architettura, Musica, Scena, Acustica, Russo. (In Italian).
40. Beccega, T. (1817). Sull’architettura Greco-Romana Applicata Alla Costruzione del Teatro Moderno Italiano e Sulle Macchine Teatrali (On the Application of the Graeco-Roman Architecture to the Construction of the Modern Italian Theatre and to the Theatrical Machines), Alvisopoli. (In Italian).
41. Francesco Milizia (1725–1798) and the Acoustics of his Teatro Ideale (1773)10.3813/AAA.918592 ↗
42. Forsyth, M. (1985). Buildings for Music, The Press Syndicate.
43. Niccolini, A. (1816). Alcune Idee Sulla Risonanza del Teatro (Some Ideas on the Resonance of the Theatre), Masi. (In Italian).
44. Acoustics of Italian historical opera houses10.1121/1.4926905 ↗
45. Meduna, T., and Meduna, G. (1849). Il Teatro La Fenice in Venezia…(On the La Fenice Theatre…), Antonelli. (In Italian).
46. De Cesare, F. (1885). La Scienza dell’Architettura Applicata alla Costruzione, alla Distribuzione, alla Decorazione Degli Edifici Civili (The Science of Architecture on the Construction, Distribution and Decoration of Civil Buildings), Pellizzone. (In Italian).
47. Favaro, A. (1882). L’Acustica Applicata alla Costruzione delle sale per Spettacoli e Pubbliche Adunanze (Acoustics Applied to the Construction of Performance Spaces and Public Meetings), Camilla e Bertolero. (In Italian).
48. Basile, G.B.F. (1883). Sulla costruzione del Teatro Massimo Vittorio Emanuele (On the Construction of Teatro Massimo Vittorio Emanuele), Tip. Dello Statuto. (In Italian).
49. Newton, J.P. (2001, January 2–7). Room Acoustics Measurements at the Royal Opera House, London. Proceedings of the 17th International Congress on Acoustics (ICA), Rome, Italy.
50. Saunders, G. (1790). Treatise on Theaters, I. and J. Taylor.
51. A history of the use of time intervals after the direct sound in concert hall design before the reverberation formula of Sabine became generally accepted10.1260/1351-010X.20.2.157 ↗
52. Pre-Sabine room acoustic design guidelines based on human voice directivity10.1121/1.5032201 ↗
53. Pre-Sabine room acoustic assumptions on reverberation and their influence on room acoustic design10.1121/10.0001082 ↗
54. Bagenal, H., and Wood, A. (1931). Planning for Good Acoustics, Methuen & Co.
55. Garnier, C. (1871). Le Théâtre (The Theatre), Librairie Hachette. Chapitre IX.
56. Festspielhaus Bayreuth—The unique acoustic situation10.1121/1.426288 ↗
57. The aesthetics of the Bayreuth Festspielhaus explained by means of acoustic measurements and simulations10.1016/j.culher.2018.03.003 ↗
58. Link, D. (1998). The National Court Theater in Mozart’s Vienna: Sources and Documents 1783–1792, Oxford University Press.
59. Acoustical evaluation of the Teatro Colón of Buenos Aires10.1121/2.0000640 ↗
60. Theater Acoustics
61. Sound in the theater10.1121/1.1916045 ↗
62. Opera and Society in the English-speaking World. The American Opera Boom of the 1950s and 1960s: History and Stylistic Analysis
63. Acoustical design considerations of the Sydney Opera House
64. Beranek, L.L. (1962). Music, Acoustics &Architecture, John Wiley & Sons.
65. Beranek, L.L. (2008). Riding the Waves, The MIT Press.10.7551/mitpress/7639.001.0001 ↗
66. Acoustical design of the opera house of the New National Theatre, Tokyo, Japan10.1121/1.428564 ↗
67. Beranek, L.L. (1996). Concert and Opera Halls. How They Sound, American Institute of Physics.10.1121/1.414882 ↗
68. Objective and subjective evaluations of twenty-three opera houses in Europe, Japan, and the Americas10.1121/1.428309 ↗
69. Acoustics of opera houses: A cultural heritage10.1121/1.426289 ↗
70. Farina, A., and Ayalon, R. (2003, January 26–28). Recording concert hall acoustics for posterity. Proceedings of the 24th AES Conference on Multichannel Audio, Banff, AB, Canada.
71. Acoustics in the restoration of Italian historical opera houses: A review10.1016/j.culher.2016.03.004 ↗
72. From tangible to intangible heritage inside Italian historical opera houses10.3390/heritage2010054 ↗
73. Acoustic quality of theatres: Correlations between experimental measures and subjective evaluations10.1016/S0003-682X(00)00082-7 ↗
74. Objective measurement of the listening condition in the old Italian opera house Teatro di San Carlo10.1006/jsvi.1999.2696 ↗
75. Dragonetti, R., Ianniello, C., Mercogliano, F., and Romano, R.A. (July, January 30). The Teatro di San Carlo in Naples and its smaller clone Teatro Verdi in Salerno. Proceedings of the Acoustics 08, Paris, France.
76. Facondini, M., and Bignozzi, L. (2001, January 2–7). Variable sound orchestra pit for the “Teatro Comunale” of Bologna. Proceedings of the 17th International Congress on Acoustics (ICA), Rome, Italy.
77. Tronchin, L., and Tarabusi, V. (2011, January 23). Acoustic characterization of the Teatro Comunale in Bologna and the Teatro Bonci in Cesena. Proceedings of the Opera Houses of the Unity of Italy, Venice, Italy. (In Italian).
78. Renovating Teatro alla Scala Milano for the 21st century, Part I and II
79. Farina, A., Capra, A., Armelloni, E., Varani, C., and Amendola, A. (2011, January 23). Acoustic survey of the Teatro alla Scala in Milan. Proceedings of the Opera Houses of the Unity of Italy, Venice, Italy. (In Italian).
80. Acoustics of the former Teatro La Fenice in Venice
81. Ceniccola, G. (2011). Architetture in Scena. Teatri Storici in Campania tra XVIII e XX Secolo: Conoscenza e Nodi Critici nel Progetto di Conservazione (Performance Architecture. Historical Theatres in Campania between 18th and 20th Century: Knowledge and Criticalities in the Conservation Project). [Ph.D. Thesis, University of Naples “Federico II”]. (In Italian).
82. Quagliarini, E. (2008). Costruzioni in Legno nei Teatri All’Italiana del ’700 e ’800: Il Patrimonio Nascosto Dell’architettura Teatrale Marchigiana (Wooden Buildings in Italian Historical Opera Houses: The Hidden Heritage of Theatrical Architecture), Allinea. (In Italian).
83. Martellotta, F. (2011, January 23). Acoustics of Apulian Historical Theatres: Further developments of the research. Proceedings of the Opera Houses of the Unity of Italy, Venice, Italy. (In Italian).
84. Zecchin, R., Di Bella, A., Boniotto, E., Boscolo, S., Bovo, M.E., Granzotto, N., and Rinaldi, C. (2006, January 10–12). Survey on opera houses in Triveneto: Analysis of the main acoustic parameters. Proceedings of the 33rd National Meeting of Italian Acoustic Society, Ischia, Italy. (In Italian).
85. Iannace, G., Ianniello, C., Maffei, L., and Romano, R. (2001, January 2–7). Acoustics measurements in the Teatro dell’Opera in Rome. Proceedings of the 17th International Congress on Acoustics (ICA), Rome, Italy.
86. Cammarata, G., Fichera, A., and Marletta, L. (April, January 31). Indici di qualità acustica del Teatro Bellini di Catania (Acoustical quality indexes of the Bellini Theatre in Catania). Proceedings of the 27th National Meeting of Italian Acoustic Society, Padua, Italy. (In Italian).
87. Verdi’s Reform of the Italian Opera Orchestra10.2307/746639 ↗
88. Giordani, E., and Salvarani, M. (2002). Orchestral staff in 19th century Opera Houses, Introductory Issues for a Psycho-Acoustic Evaluation, Mattioli 1885. (In Italian).
89. Bortolotti, L., and Masetti, L. (1977). Teatri Storici. Dal Restauro allo Spettacolo (Historical Theatres. From Renovation to Performance), Nardini. (In Italian).
90. A restoration based on the result of a public debate: The case of Civic Theatre of Schio
91. The Proscenium of Opera Houses as a disappeared intangible heritage: A virtual reconstruction of the 1840s original design of the Alighieri Theatre in Ravenna10.3390/acoustics1030041 ↗
92. Cocchi, A., Farina, A., and Tronchin, L. (1995, January 15–18). Computer assisted methods and acoustic quality: Recent restoration case histories. Proceedings of the MCHA95, Kirishima, Japan.
93. Cocchi, A., Consumi, M.C., and Shimokura, R. (July, January 30). Considerations about the acoustic properties of Teatro Nuovo in Spoleto after the restoration works. Proceedings of the Acoustics 08, Paris, France.
94. Tronchin, L. (2006, January 5–7). The design of acoustical enhancements and diffusion in the opera house of Treviso, Italy. Proceedings of the 6th International Conference on Auditorium Acoustics, IOA, Copenhagen, Denmark.
95. Pisani, R., and Duretto, F. (1999, January 26–28). The restoration and the acoustic issues of historical theatres. Proceedings of the 27th National Meeting of Italian Acoustic Society, Genua, Italy. (In Italian).
96. Facondini, M. (2001, January 2–7). Acoustic restoration of the Teatro Comunale Gioacchino Rossini in Pesaro. Proceedings of the 17th International Congress on Acoustics (ICA), Rome, Italy.
97. On the testing of renovations inside historical opera houses10.1006/jsvi.2002.5276 ↗
98. Acoustic program in the competition for the reconstruction of the “La Fenice” opera house after the fire of 29 January 199610.1006/jsvi.1999.2681 ↗
99. Cocchi, A., Garai, M., and Tronchin, L. (1997). Influenza di cavità risonanti poste sotto la fossa orchestrale: Il caso del teatro Alighieri di Ravenna (The Influence of Resonating Cavities under the Orchestra Pit: The Case of the Alighieri Theatre in Ravenna). Teatri Storici. Dal Restauro Allo Spettacolo, Nardini Editore. (In Italian).
100. The Phantom of Modern Opera: How Economics and Politics Affect the Programming Strategies of Opera Houses