La vera costanza ("True Constancy"), is an operatic dramma giocoso in three acts by Pasquale Anfossi. The comédie larmoyante-influenced Italian libretto was by Francesco Puttini. The opera preceded Joseph Haydn's better known setting of the same libretto by three years.
The work was first performed on 2 January 1776 at the Teatro delle Dame, Rome. It was successful and performed widely throughout Europe during the following two decades.
| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast, 2 January 1776 (Conductor: –) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Count Errico, secret husband of Rosina | tenor | Gioacchino Costa/Filippo Tonnini | |
| Rosina, a fisherwoman abandoned by Errico | soprano castrato travesti | Pietro Tiburzj | |
| Marquis Ernesto, friend of Errico | tenor | Francesco Paolo Agresta | |
| Baroness Irene, Count Errico's aunt who wishes to marry Ernesto | soprano castrato travesti | Antonio Rosselli | |
| Villotto, a foolish gentleman, would-be suitor for Rosina | bass | Serafino Blasi | |
| Lisetta, baroness's maid | soprano castrato travesti | Domenico Bruni | |
| Masino, fisherwoman, brother of Rosina | baritone or tenor | Francesco Ciaranfi |
See synopsis of the Haydn opera.