Teatro San Cassiano facts for kids
| Teatro Tron | |
Teatro San Cassiano (1637): historically-informed visualisation
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| Location | Venezia |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 45°26′18.64″N 12°19′49.33″E / 45.4385111°N 12.3303694°E |
| Construction | |
| Built | 1637 |
| Demolished | 1812 |
The Teatro San Cassiano was the world's very first public opera house. It opened in 1637 in Venice, Italy. This theatre was special because it was the first place where people could pay to watch an opera. Before this, operas were usually only for rich families and royal courts.
The theatre was owned by a powerful Venetian family called the Tron family. It was named after the area it was in, San Cassiano, which is part of the Santa Croce district, not far from the famous Rialto bridge. By opening its doors to everyone who bought a ticket, the Teatro San Cassiano changed how people enjoyed opera forever!
In 2019, a cool project started. An English expert named Paul Atkin wants to rebuild the Teatro San Cassiano in Venice exactly as it was in 1637. This means using old building methods and even having the same kind of stage machinery! The goal is to make it a place where people can learn about and enjoy Baroque opera, performed just like it was centuries ago.
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A Theatre in the 1500s
The first records of a theatre on this spot go all the way back to 1581. The Tron family already had a theatre here for plays, which were called commedie. People even paid deposits to reserve their seats, which shows it was quite popular!
This early theatre already had special seating areas called "boxes." These boxes became a very important part of how Italian opera houses were built later on. In 1580, the city leaders in Venice started worrying about how strong these new theatres were. They wanted to make sure the buildings were "strong and safe" so they wouldn't collapse. This shows that having boxes as part of the building was a new and big change!
The Tron theatre was closed for a while in 1585 by the city's Council of Ten. All the wooden parts that made it a theatre were removed. It probably reopened sometime after 1607.
The 1600s: Birth of Public Opera
The First Public Opera House (1637)
Records show that the Teatro San Cassiano was used for plays throughout the 1610s. Sadly, two fires damaged the theatre in 1629 and 1633.
In 1636, the Tron brothers decided to open a "Theatre for music." This was a huge moment for opera! It meant they were building a theatre specifically for musical performances.
The Teatro San Cassiano officially opened in 1637 with an opera called L’Andromeda. The music was by Francesco Manelli, and the story (libretto) was by Benedetto Ferrari. This was a massive step in history because it was the first time people could buy a ticket to see an opera. This idea of public, ticketed performances spread all over the world. The Teatro San Cassiano became the model for many opera houses built in the centuries that followed.
How the 1637 Theatre Looked Inside
We don't have any pictures of the 1637 theatre, either from the outside or inside. But we do have some old documents that give us clues. One document from 1657 says the theatre had 153 boxes.
Later, in 1683, a French writer named Jacques Chassebras de Cramailles also wrote that the Teatro San Cassiano had "five tiers of boxes and 31 in each tier." This means there were five levels of boxes, with 31 boxes on each level. The very first level, called the 'Pepiano', had 29 boxes and two side entrances to the main floor where people stood. This design with five levels of boxes was common in other theatres of that time too.
Since there were no major changes to the theatre between 1637 and 1658, and the land it stood on stayed the same size (about 27 meters by 18.5 meters), it's very likely that the theatre had these 153 boxes from the very beginning in 1637.
Famous Operas and Composers
After L’Andromeda, another opera by Francesco Manelli and Benedetto Ferrari called La maga fulminata was performed in 1638. But from 1639 onwards, Francesco Cavalli became the most important composer at the Teatro San Cassiano and in Venice.
Cavalli is one of the most studied opera composers from the 1600s. Many of his operas still exist today, which is rare for that time! His opera Le nozze di Teti e di Peleo (1639) is the oldest complete opera we have for the Teatro San Cassiano. He also wrote many other famous operas like Gli amori d'Apollo e di Dafne (1640) and La Didone (1641). Other important composers who worked at the theatre in the 1600s included Pietro Andrea Ziani and Tomaso Albinoni.
The 1700s: Later Years
Building and Artistic Life
There isn't much information about big changes to the theatre building in the first half of the 1700s.
However, operas continued to be performed regularly. Tomaso Albinoni worked with the theatre for a long time. Other well-known composers like Francesco Gasparini and Baldassare Galuppi also staged their operas here during this period.
Changes in 1763
In 1763, the theatre was updated and became known as the 'new' Teatro San Cassiano. The biggest change was making the stage deeper. They did this by knocking down two small houses behind the theatre. This made the stage about 3 meters deeper than before. The boxes were also made a little wider.
Final Years and Demolition
By 1776, the Teatro San Cassiano was starting to fall apart. The last known season of performances was in 1798. Two operas were performed that year.
In 1805, the French rulers decided to close the theatre for good. The entire building was torn down in 1812 to make space for new houses. Today, the area where the Teatro San Cassiano once stood is a garden called the Albrizzi garden.
Rebuilding the Teatro San Cassiano
The project to rebuild the Teatro San Cassiano of 1637 in Venice is led by Paul Atkin. He first thought of the idea in 1999, but serious research began in 2015. The project officially launched in June 2019 with a conference and concert in Venice. The city of Venice supports this exciting project. The team has even found a possible location for the new theatre and is working on the architectural plans.
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See also
- Music of Venice
- List of theatres and opera houses in Venice
- Commedia dell'arte
