The translation of Italian opera librettos in the nineteenth century: historical and cultural milestones

The period between 1840 and 1900 saw the full or partial translation of a significant number of Italian opera librettos, a phenomenon whose analysis can prove most insightful from the point of view of translation history as well as from that of the history of language and of cultural history. The translation of the Italian librettos was carried out in an environment marked not so much by cultural endeavours, but rather economic ones, taking into account the level of the public‘s musical and cultural illiteracy and their reduced financial means.