VOLUME 12 – OPERETTE

Operetta in three acts

Shortly before the Second World War, Maffeis meets Monsignor Ambrogio Palestra, who invites him to compose on his texts, six didactic-recreational operettas, for the oratory of Abbiategrasso, which would be completed between 1937 and 1951 and replicated several times during the composer’s life. In all these works the necessary simplicity of the writing permits the operetta to be suitable for any children’s vocal range, allowing for a varied expressive palette to give life to the different situations of the story.

The Danish Singer was composed in 1945 and in the group of the six operettas, it is the one of wider dimensions; it is inspired by the medieval epic poem “Gudruna”, written in the twelfth century and inspired by the seafaring exploits of the Vikings. The appreciation shown for the operetta is evidenced by the reuse of some of its moments as independent pieces (see vols. I, II, III and IV). The publication, as for all the other operettas, consists of two files, score and sheet music.