Tramelogedy

The tramelogedia ( Greek - Italian. Tramelogedia , mixed formation of melodrama and tragedy) is a hybrid genre between opera and tragedy . It is a much discussed vision of the Italian poet Vittorio Graf Alfieri (1749–1803), which could not establish itself in theater practice.

Alfieri tried to justify the tramelogedy with his work Abele (printed 1804). It should be a popular, serious form of theater that should not be completely absorbed in opera, where the enjoyment of music was in the foreground. In the preface to this drama, Alfieri explained his ideas. Alfieri envisaged both singers and actors as performers and described the use of melodramatic music with stage directions at the desired points. In 1915 a setting by Leandro Passagni was performed.

In French, English and German usage, the term melodrama describes a more modern form of drama with accompanying music, so it is roughly comparable to the Italian tramelogedy. In the Italian language, on the other hand , melodramma is understood to mean opera, which has always dominated Italian theater life. The spoken tragedy never really caught on here.

literature

• Martina Grempler: Drama music in Italy around 1800. A search for traces . In: Ursula Kramer (ed.): Theater with music. 400 years of incidental music in European theater . Pp. 171–181, transcript, Bielefeld 2014, here pp. 177–178. ISBN 978-3837624328