ABSTRACT
Philip Gossett approachs the problem even more cautiously, emphasizing its inadequate understanding of the context in which Rossini worked. He treats the form of the duet independently both from the contemporary aria and from its duet ancestors. This chapter suggests that genetic connections do exist between eighteenth- and nineteenth-century duets. It examines the final stage of the transformation that led to the Ottocento duet, using pieces written by Simone Mayr from the beginning of his operatic career, the year of Rossini's first international success, Tancredi. Charles Brauner, in his dissertation on Bellini and the aesthetics of opera seria, has noted that Mayr was writing four-movement duets as early as Ginevra di Scozia. As in Rossini's duets, a conflict is elaborated in two phases of interaction and reflection. In the first of these phases Idalide proclaims her fidelity to Zamoro and together they summarize their feelings; in the second she urges his departure and again joins him in assessing the situation.
