The category of Patience as a dramaturgical mechanism of opera seria: three “Griselda” operas in a comparative perspective (A. Scarlatti – G. Bononcini – A. Vivaldi)

Section 1. Modern Revisions of Musical and Historical Heritage

Abstract

Statement of the problem. The article considers the category of patience (“patientia”) as a dramaturgical mechanism in Italian opera seria of the first half of the eighteenth century. While the genre has often been described as stylistically static and normatively codified, its internal dramaturgical dynamics – especially in relation to ethical virtues – remain insufficiently explored in comparative studies. The modern scholarship has significantly advanced the understanding of opera seria as a genre structured around affective reflection rather than external action. The studies by R. Strohm, H. Greenwald, and K. T. Raizen emphasize the normative and moral foundations of the genre, while research by S. Aspden and M. Talbot highlights the role of performance culture and late-Baroque stylistic transformations. However, comparative analyses focusing on the evolution of a single plot across different operatic contexts remain rare. Objectives, methods, and novelty of the research. The purpose of this article is to examine the semantic and dramaturgical transformation of Griselda’s image in three operas – by Alessandro Scarlatti, Giovanni Bononcini, and Antonio Vivaldi – and to identify the changing functions of Baroque category of “patientia” (patience) within the evolving poetics of opera seria. For the first time in Ukrainian musicology, a systematic comparative analysis of three operas on one plot has been carried out, which allows us to reveal the historical dynamics of the development of Griselda’s image and its role in the dramatic organization of opera seria. The semantic category of patience is interpreted as a factor influencing the logic of the development of opera conflict, aria typology, affective organisation, formal design, and temporal logic within the operatic text. The study employs comparative, structural-dramaturgical, and affecttheoretical methods, combining musical analysis of selected arias with examination of librettos and contemporary musicological literature. Research results. The analysis demonstrates a clear evolutionary trajectory: from normative ethical model in Scarlatti’s opera, through performative and representational reinterpretation in Bononcini’s work, to Vivaldi’s psychologically dynamic conception of the heroine. This progression reflects broader shifts in operatic thinking, leading from early opera seria towards the dramaturgy of musical classicism. Conclusion. The image of Griselda emerges as a sensitive indicator of stylistic and dramaturgical change within eighteenth-century opera. The transformation of category of patience from an ethical constant into a dynamic psychological process reveals the internal flexibility of opera seria and its capacity for aesthetic renewal.