The tenth volume in the series Drammaturgia Musicale Veneta consists of a facsimile edition of the scores for the intermezzos Le rovine di Troia (Dragontana e Policrone) by Antonio Lotti, Melissa contenta by Lotti or Francesco Gasparini, and Cuoco e Madama
(La preziosa ridicola), whose attribution to Antonio Caldara is uncertain. The first two operas, performed at the Teatro San Cassiano, Venice, in 1707-1708, attest to the beginning of a genre, whereas the Viennese setting for Cuoco e Madama, dated 1724, is evidence of its dynamism and popularity. La preziosa ridicola had many revivals, such as the Rome première in 1712 and a production in Venice in 1719. As a consequence, the original scenario was constantly subject to variations, at times significant in terms of form and content. The facsimile reproductions of the manuscript scores are accompanied by the transcription of the librettos with, as is the modern custom, “notes on the text”, illustrating the general criteria and some specific solutions. The introductory essay comments on both the texts and the music, highlighting aspects such as the wide use of parody, meta-theatre, tradition, intertextuality and the very close relationship between La preziosa ridicola and the original by Molière.