About this edition
Gaetano Donizetti's Lucrezia Borgia (1833) is one of the most gripping achievements of Italian Romantic opera, a taut psychological drama adapted from Victor Hugo's scandalous play of the same name. First performed at Milan's Teatro alla Scala, the opera pairs blazing bel canto vocal writing with a plot of poison, hidden identity, and maternal tragedy, reaching its height in the famous drinking song "Il segreto per esser felici" and a devastating final scene. The formidable title role and the trouser role of Orsini have drawn leading singers for nearly two centuries, securing the opera's place alongside Lucia di Lammermoor and Don Pasquale in the core Donizetti repertoire.
This vocal score reproduces the edition published in London by Boosey & Co., prepared by Arthur Sullivan and Josiah Pittman. Sullivan, who later achieved fame for his operettas with W.S. Gilbert, and Pittman, a respected conductor and editor of Italian and French opera, worked together to prepare accurate, performance-ready English-language editions for Victorian singers and opera houses. Boosey editions of this kind became widely used study and performance texts in English-speaking theaters and conservatories throughout the second half of the nineteenth century, making this a genuinely historic source for the work.
About this edition:
- Complete vocal score (voice and piano reduction)
- Page size: 8.5 x 11 inches, printed for comfortable reading at the piano or in rehearsal
- Reproduced from a historical public domain edition
- Published by Purple 4R Publishing
Because this score is in the public domain, we're able to bring this historical edition back into print, making Donizetti's dramatic masterwork freely accessible to singers, pianists, coaches, and scholars today.
