Opera and neuroscience

Lorusso, Lorenzo; Franchini, Antonia Francesca; Porro, Alessandro

doi:10.1016/bs.pbr.2014.11.016

Cited by 11 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…As recently pointed out by Lorusso et al [8] , somnambulism also figures prominently in Michele Carafa's (1787-1872) 'Il Sonnambulo' [9] . We hope to show that this now largely 'forgotten' work can also serve as a portal for looking at the status of medical knowledge and public understanding about somnambulism during the first half of the nineteenth century.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 90%

‘Il Sonnambulo' by Michele Carafa: A Forgotten Romantic Opera with Sleepwalking

Riva

Mazzocchi²,

Cesana³

et al. 2016

Eur Neurol

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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.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 90%

‘Il Sonnambulo' by Michele Carafa: A Forgotten Romantic Opera with Sleepwalking

Riva

Mazzocchi²,

Cesana³

et al. 2016

Eur Neurol

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“…"Nabucco" provides a clear example of how operas could be used as a valuable tool to investigate the state of knowledge of neuropsychiatric disease in the Romantic era [1][2][3]20] . Opera was at the height of popularity during this time, with an audience mostly composed of the upper-class and the well-educated, who considered it to be unworthy of attendance if it were not grandiose and spectacular [2] .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“Nabucco” by Giuseppe Verdi: A Case of <b><i>Delirium</i></b> in an Italian Romantic Opera

Cambioli¹,

Bava²,

Bellelli³

et al. 2017

Eur Neurol

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Italian operas can provide relevant information on the medical knowledge during the Romantic Age, especially in the field of neuroscience. One of the most renowned operas, “Nabucco” by Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901) may provide us with some information on the state of knowledge on neuropsychiatric diseases in the first part of the nineteenth century. The main character of this opera, the Assyrian king Nabucco suffers from delirium. Psychic signs and symptoms attributed to Nabucco in Verdi's opera could have been influenced by a better knowledge of neuropsychiatric diseases in the nineteenth century. Furthermore, the representation of Nabucco's mental illness in the opera could also have been influenced by direct experiences of Verdi himself, who seems to have suffered from recurrent depressive episodes in that period, and for the rest of his life.

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“…During this period, natural somnambulism was differentiated from the magnetic somnambulism (also named hypnosis, mesmerism and animal magnetism), popularized from the late 18 th century as a trance status induced by a an external person [8]. This fascinating character was also present in many theater plays and operas, including two emblematic female characters, i.e., Amina in La Somnambula from Bellini (1831), and Lady Macbeth represented as guilty with bloodied hands in Macbeth from Verdi (1846), based on Shakespeare's tragedy (1623) [9,10]. Later, the popular conception of witches and ghost-like phantoms wandering at night was gradually enlightened by more rational explanations.…”

Section: Somnambulism (Or Sleepwalking) Is a Parasomnia Of Primarily Emerging From N3 Sleepmentioning

confidence: 99%

From burlesque to horror: a century of sleepwalking on the silver screen

Dalloz

Kovarski²,

Tamazyan³

et al. 2021

Sleep Medicine

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Background: Long before being described as a disorder, sleepwalking was considered as a mysterious phenomenon inspiring artwork. From the early beginning of cinema, sleepwalkers were shown to populations, playing a crucial role in storytelling and collective knowledge.Objective: We characterized how sleepwalking has been portrayed in a large number of movies from the origins of cinema to recent years.Methods: Movies containing the words "sleepwalking" or "somnambulism" were searched for in International Movie Databases. Types of movies, sleepwalking characters, postures and behaviors during episodes, triggers, and suggested treatments were collected.Results: Production of 87 movies and 22 cartoons portraying sleepwalkers was clustered around two peaks, in the 1910s and 2010s. Comedies predominated before 1960, and thriller/horror movies as a dominant genre after 1960. In contrast with real-life sleepwalking epidemiology, sleepwalkers are more often portrayed as women than men (and often wearing a transparent white nightgown), as adults more than children on-screen, and 23% suffered psychiatric comorbidities. The unrealistic posture of outstretched arms and eyes closed was found in 20% of movies and 79% of cartoons. Night terrors, sexsomnias (kissing, having sex, initiated pregnancy), sleep-related eating and sleep driving were also featured. Homicides and falls while sleepwalking were recurrent fear-inducing topics. The first sleep EEG was featured in a sleepwalking movie in 1985, and a sleep specialist gave his first advice in 1997.Discussion: The representation of sleepwalking on the screen seems to have evolved from popular, unrealistic stereotypes of somnambulism towards a medical condition, paralleling the development of sleep medicine.

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Opera and neuroscience

Cited by 11 publications

References 33 publications

‘Il Sonnambulo' by Michele Carafa: A Forgotten Romantic Opera with Sleepwalking

‘Il Sonnambulo' by Michele Carafa: A Forgotten Romantic Opera with Sleepwalking

“Nabucco” by Giuseppe Verdi: A Case of <b><i>Delirium</i></b> in an Italian Romantic Opera

From burlesque to horror: a century of sleepwalking on the silver screen

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