OPERA AND ITALIAN IDENTITY: THE LONG VIEW
OPERA AND ITALIAN IDENTITY: THE LONG VIEW

Summary/Abstract: The nineteenth century is generally acknowledged as the period in which modern ideas of nation and nationalism crystallised; it is also seen as the period in which those ideas played a part in the process of Italian unification. The role that opera may have played in that process has been the object of much debate. Here I take a longer view, and begin to explore the more elusive ways in which music and opera may have contributed to the emergence of an Italian identity (an important condition for any thought about political unification) in the eighteenth century. Operatic practice can be seen as an element of social, linguistic and cultural integration across the Italian peninsula. Moreover, when Italian opera predominated throughout Europe, Italy exported an army of people associated with its creation, performance and business. What these Italians did, how others interacted with them, and the widespread association between them and opera — all had an effect on their perceived image, helping to foster the impression that they were indeed a group with shared characteristics. More open and complex ideas of Italian identity may eventually emerge from the exploration of these historical realities.

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