Jacopo Ferretti (16 July 1784 – 7 March 1852) was an Italian writer, poet and opera librettist. His name is sometimes written as Giacomo Ferretti.
He is most famous for having supplied the libretti for two operas composed by Rossini and for five operas composed by Donizetti.
Life Introduced by his father to literature while very young, in addition to his native Italian, Ferretti mastered not only Latin and Ancient Greek but also French and English, and began writing verse early. Even though he worked in the tobacco industry from the age of about 30 until he was over 60, he was extremely prolific, writing "everything from love letter to odes and welcoming speeches",Opera Talent entry for Jacopo Ferretti and numerous opera libretti, all but the few listed below being generally forgotten.
His first big success was La Cenerentola, written at great speed for Rossini over Christmas in 1816. Ferretti wrote afterwards how he had agreed to write a libretto on a subject which the censor vetoed, so he met the composer and the theatre manager to discuss alternatives. He struggled to find a new subject that appealed, but about two dozen were rejected for one reason or another. At last, yawning wearily, Ferretti said "La Cenerentola" ("Cinderella") and at last Rossini decided he liked it, so Ferretti went home and began at once, worked night and day on it, and gave sections to Rossini on Christmas Day. Early on during the production there were problems, but Rossini predicted (correctly) that it would be a great success in the long term.
Ferretti married the singer Teresa Terziani in 1820, and their house was continually visited by musicians and poets, including Donizetti who had been given a letter of introduction to Ferretti by Johann Simon Mayr. They became good friends after the young composer's arrival in Rome in October 1821 for the preparation of the production of his Zoraida di Granata, which became his first major success. Ferretti worked on revising Bartolomeo Merelli's libretto for the opera.Allit 1991, pp. 26—27
Librettos by Ferretti Altogether, Ferretti wrote about 70 librettos, the majority of which were for operas presented in Rome.Black 1998, p. 167 TitleGenreSubdivisionsMusicPremièrePlace, theatreNotesL'inganno dura poco, ossia Le nozze di don Madrigaleburletta2 actsCesare Jannoni9 September 1807Rome, Teatro ValleLa principessa per ripiegodramma giocoso2 actsFrancesco Morlacchi15 April 1809Rome, Teatro ValleProbably after La villanella ingentilita by Francesco Saverio ZiniLa Didonedramma serio3 actsValentino Fioravanti9 June 1810Rome, Teatro ValleAfter Didone abbandonata by Pietro MetastasioBaldovinodramma serio Niccolò Antonio Zingarelli1811Rome, Teatro ArgentinaIl bello piace a tuttimelodramma giocoso1 actValentino Fioravanti1811 Berenice regina d'Armeniadramma per musica3 acts Niccolò Antonio Zingarelli12 November 1811Rome, Teatro ValleAfter Lucio Vero by Apostolo Zeno.As Berenice in Armenia: music by Carlo Evasio Soliva, March 1817, Turin, Teatro RegioTito in Langresdramma serio2 actsAntonio del Fante4 January 1813Rome, Teatro ArgentinaAmore assottiglia l'ingegnodramma buffo2 actsPietro Carlo Guglielmi26 December 1814Rome, Teatro ValleRinaldo d'Astidramma buffo2 actsCarlo Coccia17 February 1816Rome, Teatro ValleLa Cenerentola, ossia La bontà in trionfodramma giocoso2 actsGioachino Rossini25 January 1817Rome, Teatro VallePolissenadramma giocoso3 actsFerdinando Rutini11 February 1817Rome, Teatro ArgentinaBartolommeo colla Cavallamelodramma buffo2 actsAntonio PauselliAutumn 1817Florence, Teatro della Pergola1827: Carlo Conti (as L'innocente in periglio); 1836: Paolo Lami; 1838: Massimiliano QuiliciPulcinella impresario Ferdinando Rutini1817RomeScipione in Cartaginemelodramma serio2 actsSaverio Mercadante26 December 1820Rome, Teatro ArgentinaLa festa della riconoscenza o sia Il pellegrino biancomelodramma giocoso2 actsFilippo Grazioli25 January 1821Rome, Teatro ApolloMatilde di Shabran, o sia Bellezza, e cuor di ferromelodramma giocoso2 actsGioachino Rossini24 February 1821Rome, Teatro ApolloLa capricciosa ed il soldatomelodramma giocoso2 actsMichele Carafa26 December 1821Rome, Teatro ApolloCesare in Egittomelodramma eroico2 actsGiovanni Pacini26 December 1821Rome, Teatro ArgentinaZoraida di Granatamelodramma eroico2 actsGaetano Donizetti28 January 1822Rome, Teatro ArgentinaContributed. After Bartolomeo MerelliAmalia e Palmermelodramma2 actsFilippo Celli14 September 1822Teatro ArgentinaEufemio di Messinamelodramma eroico2 actsMichele Carafa26 December 1822Rome, Teatro ArgentinaIl corsaro, ovvero Un maestro di cappella al Maroccomelodramma giocoso2 actsFilippo Celli26 December 1822Rome, Teatro ValleAmori ed armi 2 actsFrancesco CianciarelliCarnival 1823Rome, Teatro ValleL'ajo nell'imbarazzo, o Don Gregoriomelodramma giocoso2 actsGaetano Donizetti4 February 1824Rome, Teatro ValleGli amici di Siracusamelodramma eroico3 actsSaverio Mercadante7 February 1824Rome, Teatro ArgentinaL'audacia fortunatadramma giocoso per musica Antonio SapienzaSummer 1824Naples, Teatro del Fondo1827: Carlo ContiRiccardo l'intrepidomelodramma2 actsGiuseppe Balducci9 September 1824Rome, Teatro ValleLa comunità di Castel Formicolone ovvero Le gelosie villanedramma giocoso2 actsVittorio Trento1824 Le civette in apparenza o sia una Lezione ai maldicentimelodramma1 actLuigi Gambale3 June 1826Rome, Teatro ValleLa fedeltà fra i boschi o sia Il taglialegna di Dombar Filippo GrazioliSeptember 1826Rome, Teatro ValleOlivo e Pasqualemelodramma giocoso2 actsGaetano Donizetti7 January 1827Rome, Teatro ValleLa sposa persiana Luigi Gambale1827 La sciocca per astuzia Luigi Gambale7 February 1828RomeL'orfanella di Ginevramelodramma semiserio2 actsLuigi Ricci9 September 1829Rome, Teatro ValleL'eroina del Messicomelodramma serio2 actsLuigi Ricci9 February 1830Rome, Teatro di TordinonaIl corsaromelodramma romantico3 actsGiovanni Pacini15 January 1831Rome, Teatro ApolloIl nuovo Figaromelodramma giocoso2 actsLuigi Ricci15 February 1832Parma, Nuovo Teatro DucaleIl furioso all'isola di San Domingomelodramma2 actsGaetano Donizetti2 January 1833Rome, Teatro ValleTorquato Tassomelodramma3 actsGaetano Donizetti9 September 1833Rome, Teatro ValleIl Cidmelodramma serio2 actsLuigi Savj22 January 1834Parma, Nuovo Teatro DucaleI due incognitimelodramma semiserio Francesco Bornacini5 February 1834Rome, Teatro ValleEran due or son tremelodramma buffo2 actsLuigi Ricci10 May 1834Venice, Teatro San BenedettoLa casa disabitatamelodramma giocoso2 actsLauro Rossi16 August 1834Milan, Teatro alla ScalaChi dura vincemelodramma eroicomico2 actsLuigi Ricci26 December 1834Rome, Teatro ValleLa pazza per amoremelodramma semiserio2 actsPietro Antonio Coppola14 February 1835Rome, Teatro ValleIl colonnellomelodramma giocoso2 actsLuigi Ricci and Federico Ricci14 March 1835Naples, Teatro del FondoMonsieur de Chalumeauxmelodramma comico2 actsFederico Ricci14 June 1835Venice, Teatro San BenedettoGiulietta ossia La fanciulla abbandonatamelodramma2 actsPasquale Guglielmo1835 Il disertore per amoremelodramma giocoso2 actsLuigi Ricci and Federico Ricci13 February 1836Naples, Teatro del FondoLa festa della rosamelodramma giocoso2 actsPietro Antonio Coppola29 June 1836Vienna, Theater am KärntnertorSalvini e Adelsonmelodramma semiserio2 actsLuigi Savi1839 Il sogno punitoremelodramma3 actsGiuseppe Gerli1839 Furio Camillomelodramma tragico3 actsGiovanni Pacini26 December 1839Rome, Teatro ApolloContraddizione e puntigliomelodramma giocoso Michele Simeoni1842 Paolo e Virginiamelodramma semiserio3 actsMario Aspa29 April 1843Rome, Teatro MetastasioAs Gli isolani: Davide Dugnani, 1857Il follettomelodramma giocoso2 actsPietro Antonio Coppola18 June 1843Rome, Teatro ValleIl puntiglioso Antonio Brancaccio1846 Gismonda di Mendrisiotragedia lirica3 actsLuigi Badia10 February 1846Bologna, Teatro ComunaleLa figlia di Figaromelodramma giocoso3 actsLauro Rossi17 April 1846Vienna, Theater am KärntnertorIl cavaliere di San Giorgio, ossia Il mulattomelodramma semiserio2 actsGiuseppe LilloAutumn 1846Turin, Teatro Carignano
References Notes
Other sources Allitt, John Stewart (1991), Donizetti: in the light of Romanticism and the teaching of Johann Simon Mayr, Shaftesbury: Element Books, Ltd (UK); Rockport, MA: Element, Inc.(USA) Bini, Analisa (1996), Jacopo Ferretti e la cultura del suo tempo ("Jacopo Ferretti and the culture of his time"), Skira. Black, John (1998), "Ferretti, Jacopo", in Stanley Sadie, (Ed.), The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, Vol. Two, pp. 167–168. London: Macmillan Publishers, Inc. Holden, Amanda (Ed.), The New Penguin Opera Guide, New York: Penguin Putnam, 2001.