Courtly Representation Play, Singspiel, Opéra Comique. On the Reception of Antonio Sacchini’s 'L´isola d´amore'

Up to now, scholars have treated ”opera as a form of courtly representation,” a topic of great significance for cultural history, primarily with regard to opera seria as well as festa teatrale. By contrast, opera buffa has been neglected, often being given the label ”bourgeois,” although the works of this genre were also addressed to a primarily aristocratic audience and could play an important role in the context of the court. The article discusses this topic using the example of Antonio Sacchini’s 'L’isola d’amore,' an intermezzo composed for Rome that was staged in Vienna as a German singspiel, an opéra comique, and, in 1769, in its original form, albeit in two different versions, one of which served as a courtly festive opera.