title: 'Il Sonnambulo' by Michele Carafa: A Forgotten Romantic Opera with Sleepwalking.
abstract: Romantic operas provide a useful tool for historians to understand the perception of some medical disorders that existed during the nineteenth century. Somnambulism was still a mysterious condition during this time, since its pathogenesis was unknown. Hence, it comes as no surprise that somnambulism features in a number of operas, the best known of which are Verdi's 'Macbeth' and Bellini's 'La Sonnambula', both the subject of recent scholarship. Here we examine a more obscure opera in which sleepwalking is depicted. Dating from 1824, 'Il Sonnambulo' by the Italian composer Michele Carafa is based on a libretto by Felice Romani. Although it shares some features with the Verdi and Bellini operas, it also presents original elements. Our analysis of this forgotten opera supports the contention that studying operas can shed light on medical theories and practices, and on how ideas about mind and body disorders were transmitted to the laity in times past.
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, Monza, Italy.
authors.forename: Michele Augusto
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Riva
authors.forename: Caterina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mazzocchi
authors.forename: Giancarlo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cesana
authors.forename: Stanley
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Finger
mesh_terms: D049672:History, 19th Century; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D008512:Medicine in the Arts; D009146:Music / Q000266:history; D013009:Somnambulism / Q000266:history*