The title refers to the convenienze, which were the rules relating to the ranking of singers (primo, secondo, comprimario) in 19th-century Italian opera, and the number of scenes, arias etc.

19th century The opera was originally a one-act farsa based on Le convenienze teatrali; this version premiered at the Teatro Nuovo in Naples on 21 November 1827.

Donizetti revised it and added recitatives and material from Le inconvenienze teatrali; this final version premiered at the Teatro alla Cannobiana in Milan on 20 April 1831.

20th century and beyond Convenienze had its first major modern revival in 1963 in Siena,[1] and has subsequently appeared in a number of translations and under various titles, most notably as Viva la mamma, a German adaptation presented in Munich in 1969.

[3] A contemporary version in English by Kit Hesketh-Harvey entitled Viva La Diva was staged, in association with the Salzburg State Theatre, at the Buxton Opera House as part of the 2022 Buxton International Festival, with the Northern Chamber Orchestra, directed by Stephen Medcalf, and with George Humphreys in the role of Agata (who becomes "Lady Wigan" in the contemporary English production).