La serva padrona
La serva padrona (The Maid Turned Mistress) is a 1733 intermezzo by Giovanni Battista Pergolesi (1710–1736) to a libretto by Gennaro Federico, after the play by Jacopo Angello Nelli. It is some 40 minutes long, in two parts without overture, and was written as light-hearted staged entertainment between the acts of Pergolesi's serious opera Il prigionier superbo. More specifically each of the two parts, set in the same dressing room, played during an intermission of the three-act opera to amuse people who remained in their seats.
Synopsis
Part 1 – dressing room
Uberto, an elderly bachelor, is angry and impatient with his maidservant, Serpina, because she has not brought him his chocolate today. Serpina has become so arrogant that she thinks she is the mistress of the household. Indeed, when Uberto calls for his hat, wig and coat, Serpina forbids him to leave the house, adding that from then on he will have to obey her orders. Uberto thereupon orders Vespone to find him a woman to marry so that he can rid himself of Serpina.
Part 2 – same dressing room
Serpina convinces Vespone to trick Uberto into marrying her. She informs Uberto that she is to marry a military man named Tempesta. She will be leaving his home and apologizes for her behavior. Vespone, disguised as Tempesta, arrives and, without saying a word, demands 4,000 crowns for a dowry. Uberto refuses to pay such a sum. Tempesta threatens him to either pay the dowry or marry the girl himself. Uberto agrees to marry Serpina. Serpina and Vespone reveal their trick; but Uberto realizes that he has loved the girl all along. They will marry after all; and Serpina will now be the true mistress of the household.
Atto I
- Aria: "Aspettare e non venire" (Uberto)
- Aria: "Sempre in contrasti" (Uberto)
- Aria: "Stizzoso, mio stizzoso!" (Serpina)
- Duetto: "Lo conosco" (Uberto, Serpina)
- Recitativo: "Benissimo!" (Uberto, Serpina)
- Recitativo: "In somma delle somme" (Serpina, Uberto)
- Recitativo: "Questa è per me disgrazia!" (Uberto, Serpina)
Atto II
- Aria: "A Serpina penserete" (Serpina)
- Aria: "Son imbrogliato io già" (Uberto)
- Duetto: "Per te io ho nel core" (Serpina, Uberto)
- Recitativo: "Ah, quanto mi fa male" (Uberto, Serpina)
- Recitativo: "Favorisca, Signor!" (Serpina, Uberto)
- Recitativo: "Or che fatto" (Uberto, Serpina)
- Intermezzo primo : Aria (Serpina) « Stizzoso, mio stizzoso »
- Intermezzo primo : Aria (Uberto) « Aspettare e non venire »
- Intermezzo primo : Aria (Uberto) « Sempre in contrasti »
- Intermezzo primo : Duo (Serpina, Uberto) « Lo conosco »
- Intermezzo primo : Recitativo (Serpina, Uberto) « In somma delle somme »
- Intermezzo primo : Recitativo (Uberto, Serpina) « Benissimo ! »
- Intermezzo primo : Recitativo (Uberto, Serpina) « Questa è per me disgrazia »
- Intermezzo secondo : Aria (Serpina) « A Serpina penserete »
- Intermezzo secondo : Aria (Uberto) « Sono imbrogliato »
- Intermezzo secondo : Duo (Serpina, Uberto) « Contento tu sarai »
- Intermezzo secondo : Recitativo (Serpina, Uberto) « Favorisca, signor ! »
- Intermezzo secondo : Recitativo (Serpina, Uberto) « Or che fatto »
- Intermezzo secondo : Recitativo (Uberto, Serpina) « Ah, quanto mi fa male »
Synopsis from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.