Masaniello

There are a number of plays and operas that use the name Masaniello as main (abbreviated) title:

The character

Masaniello (i.e. Tommaso Aniello, 1622 – 1647)[1] was an Italian fisherman who became leader of the revolt against the rule of Habsburg Spain in Naples in 1647.

Masaniello, The Fisherman of Naples (1825)

Masaniello, the Fisherman of Naples is an historic play in five acts by George Soane, with incidental music by Henry Rowley Bishop.

The original text

First performed in English at the Drury Lane Theatre, London, on February 17, 1825. Published in London by J. Miller, 1825.

Performance history in South Africa

1859: A play called simply Masaniello was performed in the Harrington Street Theatre, Cape Town, by the Cape Town Dramatic Club on 27 May: Retribution (Taylor) with Retribution (Taylor) and a performance of the brass band of the 59th Regiment. The text used may have the original play or opera by Soane, but it is more likely to have been Brough's burlesque version.

Masaniello, or The Dumb Girl of Portici by Thomas S. Cooke and Barham Livius, with libretto by James Kenney (1829)

Masaniello, or The Dumb Girl of Portici is an opera in three act by Thomas S. Cooke and Barham Livius, with libretto by James Kenney.

The original text

Based on the French opera, La Muette de Portici[2] by Auber, Scribe and Lavigne, it was first performed in English at the Drury Lane Theatre, London, on May 4, 1829

The libretto published by E. Moxon, London, 1831

Performance history in South Africa

1859: A play simply called Masaniello was performed in the Harrington Street Theatre, Cape Town, by the Cape Town Dramatic Club on 27 May: Retribution (Taylor) with Retribution (Taylor) and a performance of the brass band of the 59th Regiment. The text used may have the original play by Soane or this opera , but it is more likely to have been Brough's burlesque version of Soane's work (below).

Masaniello, or The Dumb Girl of Portici by Henry M. Milner (1830)

Masaniello, or The Dumb Girl of Portici is a musical drama in three acts by Henry M. Milner ()[3] First performed at the Old Vic Theatre, London. Published by Davidson , London, in 1829, R.H. Elton in 1830 and in Cumberland's Minor theatre (Vol. 1 no. 9) in 1835

Masaniello, or The Fish-o'-Man of Naples (1857)

Masaniello, or The Fish-o'-Man of Naples is a burlesque by Robert Barnabas Brough (1828–1860)[4]

The original text

First performed at the Olympic Theatre, London, in on 2 July, 1857.

Performance history in South Africa

1859: A play called simply Masaniello was performed in the Harrington Street Theatre, Cape Town, by the Cape Town Dramatic Club on 27 May: Retribution (Taylor) with Retribution (Taylor) and a performance of the brass band of the 59th Regiment. The text used was most probably Brough's burlesque version, which had first been produced in England two years earlier.

Sources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masaniello

Facsimile version of the 1825 edition of Masaniello, the Fisherman of Naples, Hathi Trust Digital Library[5]

Margaret Ross Griffel. 2012. Operas in English: A Dictionary. Scarecrow Press: p. 308 By [6]

Allardyce Nicoll. 2002. A History of English Drama 1660-1900: Late 19th Century Drama 1850-1900 Cambridge University Press[7]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Barnabas_Brough

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_M._Milner

F.C.L. Bosman. 1980. Drama en Toneel in Suid-Afrika, Deel II, 1856-1912. Pretoria: J.L. van Schaik: p.145

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