Goldoni - Drammi Giocosi per Musica - 1745

THE THEATRE THAT DUPLICATES ITSELF: GOLDONI AMID EDITORIAL SERIES AND MUSICAL DRAMA IN THE ZATTA LABORATORY
A typically eighteenth-century example, which exemplarily reflects the complex editorial stratification of Carlo Goldoni’s works. The volume belongs to the great Venetian enterprise of Antonio Zatta, which reorganizes Goldoni’s corpus into parallel and interconnected series: on one side the Dramatic Works, on the other the Playful Dramas for Music. This tome clearly shows how the two series dialogue with one another, with a structure that integrates a series eyelet and a specific title page, testifying to a refined yet commercial editorial practice, aimed at a broad and cultured audience.
MARKET VALUE
The volumes of Zatta’s Goldoni editions are relatively common, yet they maintain a steady collectible interest; isolated copies in average condition generally range between 50 and 100 euros, with higher values for well-preserved copies, complete and with sharp engravings.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION AND CONDITION
Volume belonging to the series of the Dramatic Works. Half-leather binding with marbled boards, contemporary or slightly later, with wear along the spine and corners. Presence of a copperplate vignette on the title page of the dramas. An articulated editorial structure with an internal eyesore for tome XLIV and a separate title page for the Playful Dramas for Music. Papers with some browning and a few folds or tears. Ex libris “G. F. Alessandrini.” In ancient books, with a centuries-long history, some imperfections may be present, not always noted in the description. Pp. (2); 396; (2).

FULL TITLE AND AUTHOR
The Theatrical Works of Mr. Advocate Carlo Goldoni. Tome forty-fourth.
Containing: Playful Dramas for Music by Mr. Carlo Goldoni, Tome tenth.
Venice, printed by Antonio Zatta and sons, 1795.
Carlo Goldoni.

CONTEXT AND SIGNIFICANCE
The volume represents a paradigmatic example of the Venetian editorial policy at the end of the eighteenth century, in which Goldoni’s works are systematized and disseminated through modular series. Tome XLIV of the Theatrical Works is here dedicated to the dramas for music, a fundamental genre in Goldoni’s production, marking the transition from traditional comedy to musical theater and the opera libretto. The presence of a double level of titling — series eyelet and specific title page — does not indicate an anomaly, but a precise editorial choice: to integrate under a single library architecture different genres, while preserving their identities. This system reflects the transformation of theater from a performative practice to a stable book object, meant for reading and collecting.

BIOGRAPHY OF THE AUTHOR
Carlo Goldoni (Venice, 1707 – Paris, 1793) was the leading reformer of Italian theater. By overcoming Commedia dell’arte, he introduced written and structured texts, characterized by social realism and attention to the emerging bourgeoisie. A prolific author, he wrote comedies, dramas and libretti for music, contributing decisively to the development of modern European theater.

PRINTING HISTORY AND CIRCULATION
The Zatta editions (Venice, 1788–1795 approx.) constitute one of the most important eighteenth-century collections of Goldoni’s works. Organized in numerous volumes, often divided by genre, they were designed for broad and serial distribution. The Playful Dramas for Music were integrated into the general series of the Theatrical Works, creating a complex yet coherent editorial structure that favored both separate sale and the formation of complete sets by readers.

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
ICCU/OPAC SBN: multiple records for the Venetian Zatta editions of the Theatrical Works and the Playful Dramas for Music by Carlo Goldoni (1788–1795)
Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana, catalogs of the Venetian Goldoni editions of the XVIII century
Giuseppe Ortolani, Tutte le opere di Carlo Goldoni, Venice, various editions
Franco Fido, Goldoni and the Reform of Theater
Mario Infelise, Venetian publishing in the eighteenth century