Luisa Miller is Giuseppe Verdi’s 1849 opera, with an Italian libretto by Salvadore Cammarano based on Friedrich Schiller’s play Kabale und Liebe. You can read the complete Italian text online; for an Italian-English version, a bilingual printed libretto is listed by the publisher and retailer. The online text is not identified as an English translation.
What is the libretto of Luisa Miller?
The libretto is the opera’s sung text. Cammarano wrote it for Verdi, adapting Schiller’s German play Kabale und Liebe (“Intrigue and Love”). The work is described as a melodramma tragico; its first performance was at Naples’s Teatro San Carlo on 8 December 1849. The action is set in Tyrol in the first half of the seventeenth century. The principal characters include Luisa, her father Miller, Rodolfo, his father Count Walter, the Duchess Federica, and Wurm.
The opera’s conflict is driven by class and coercion. Rodolfo’s father pushes him toward marriage with Federica, while Wurm uses pressure against Miller to force Luisa to write a false letter saying she loves another man. Rodolfo believes the letter, and the deception ends in tragedy. For exact wording and sequence, consult the libretto or the particular translation you are reading; synopsis details can vary between productions.
Where to read the Italian libretto
The Italian libretto at librettidopera.it provides the text and bibliographic details, including the Cammarano and Verdi credits and the Naples première date. The page establishes access to the Italian text, not an English translation.
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Where to find an English translation
Wise Music Classical’s catalog entry for Luisa Miller lists an English translation and says the libretto is for sale. It identifies G. Schirmer as controlling rights in that translation, but does not name the translator.
Hal Leonard lists a printed Italian/English Luisa Miller libretto, published by G. Schirmer. This is the clearest catalog evidence for a parallel-language edition. Check the listing for current stock and edition details; price and availability can change.
Rank #2
- 100 Pages
- Includes 24 Songs
- Softcover with CD
- Composer: Various
Choosing between the online text and the bilingual edition
| Option | What it provides | Best suited to |
|---|---|---|
| librettidopera.it | Complete Italian text and bibliographic information; English translation not established by the page. | Reading the original Italian online. |
| G. Schirmer edition listed by Wise Music Classical and Hal Leonard | A printed Italian/English libretto; translator attribution is not stated in the catalog evidence. | Following Italian alongside English in a printed edition. |
If you need to compare a specific English rendering with the Italian, use the text from the edition you actually have. The available catalog information does not establish which translation is most literal or provide a basis for comparing translation style.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- 104 Pages
- Medium Low Voice - Softcover Book/CD
- Publisher: G. Schirmer, Inc.
- Vocal Collection Series
Rank #4
Rank #3
- Format: Book
- Instrument: Voice
- Genre: Masterwork
- Category: Textbook - Choral / Vocal
- Contributors: Ed. and translated by Ellen H. Bleiler
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
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