Demofoonte (Mysliveček) (1769)
Encyclopedia
Demofoonte is an opera
in three acts by the Czech composer Josef Mysliveček
. It was the composer's first setting of this popular libretto by Metastasio
first produced in 1733 (it was common in the second half of the eighteenth-century for composers to set Metastasian texts two or more times over). This setting stays remarkably close to the original drama for its day (it was customary to alter Metastasian texts considerably so long after their original performances), but the role of Timante was augmented in order to highlight the talents of its interpreter, the distinguished male soprano Gaetano Guadagni
. All of Mysliveček's operas are of the serious type in Italian referred to as opera seria
.
in Venice
on 17 January 1769. It was very successful when it appeared. Indeed, the composer's first biographer, František Martin Pelcl, claimed that Venetian nobles stood in line outside of the theater to applaud his talents. The role of Timante in this production was sung by the great castrato
Gaetano Guadagni
during the last portion of his long career. Mysliveček's second version
of Demofoonte premiered at the Teatro San Carlo, Naples
in 1775.
. In a short note written to his sister from Milan on 22 December 1770 he urgently requested her to find out whether a copy of it was available in Salzburg. If not, he vowed to bring a copy back home with him. Mozart used the overture as a source of musical motives in his own compositions for years. There is no other attributable music not by Mozart in the entire Mozart correspondence except for the notes for the beginning of the first violin part for this overture that were copied down by Mozart to help his sister identify it.
. Timante's younger brother Cherinto is accompanying her to the kingdom of Thrace, however he falls in love with her. Meeting Creusa, Timante admits that he cannot marry her, but does not explain why.
Dircea has been caught while trying to flee the country and imprisoned, and Demofoonte orders the immediate sacrifice of Dircea. Timante tries to release her but with no success. He is also imprisoned. Creusa asks Demofoonte for mercy. The king releases Timante and Dircea, and Timante decides to give up the throne in favour of Cherinto.
Suddenly they find a letter revealing that Dircea is the daughter of Demofoonte, which makes Timante and Dircea brother and sister. Timante is in despair, and tries to avoid Dircea. However another letter reveals that Timante is the son of Matusio. Everybody is happy. The marriage of Timante and Dircea becomes legal, and Cherinto is the real crown prince and can marry Creusa. No more virgins are sacrificed, since Timante is no longer the "innocent usurper of the throne".
Act I, scene 2 - Aria of Dircea, "In te spero o sposo amato"
Act I, scene 3 - Aria of Demofoonte, "Per lei fra l'armi"
Act I, scene 4 - Aria of Timante, "Sperai vicino al lido"
Act I, scene 7 - Aria of Creusa, "Non curo l'affetto"
Act I, scene 8 - Aria of Cherinto, "Balena in quel sembiante" [a non-Metastasian text]
Act I, scene 12 - Aria of Dircea, "Padre, perdona, o pene"
Act I, scene 14 - Accompanied recitative for Timante, "Infelice Dircea"
Act I, scene 14 - Cavatina of Timante, "Ah no, bell'idol mio"
Act I, scene 14 - Aria of Timante, "Che fiero tormento" [a non-Metastasian text]
Act II, scene 1 - Aria of Creusa, "Tu sai chi son tu sai"
Act II, scene 2 - Aria of Timante, "Prudente mi chiedi?"
Act II, scene 4 - Aria of Matusio, "Vado, ma d'una figlia" [a non-Metastasian text]
Act II, scene 6 - Aria of Dircea, "Se tutti i mali miei"
Act II, scene 7 - Aria of Cherinto, "No, non chiedo amate stelle"
Act II, scene 10 - Aria of Demofoonte, "Perfidi, già che in vita"
Act III, scene 1 - Aria of Adrasto, "Non odi consiglio?"
Act III, scene 4 - Accompanied recitative for Timante, "Misero me"
Act III, scene 5 - Duet for Dircea and Timante, "La destra ti chiedo"
Act III, scene 5 - Aria of Timante, "Misero pargoletto"
Act III, scene 7 - Aria of Dircea, "Che mai risponderti"
Act III, scene 11 - Chorus, "Par maggiore ogni diletto"
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
in three acts by the Czech composer Josef Mysliveček
Josef Myslivecek
Josef Mysliveček was a Czech composer who contributed to the formation of late eighteenth-century classicism in music...
. It was the composer's first setting of this popular libretto by Metastasio
Metastasio
Pietro Antonio Domenico Trapassi, better known by his pseudonym of Metastasio, was an Italian poet and librettist, considered the most important writer of opera seria libretti.-Early life:...
first produced in 1733 (it was common in the second half of the eighteenth-century for composers to set Metastasian texts two or more times over). This setting stays remarkably close to the original drama for its day (it was customary to alter Metastasian texts considerably so long after their original performances), but the role of Timante was augmented in order to highlight the talents of its interpreter, the distinguished male soprano Gaetano Guadagni
Gaetano Guadagni
Gaetano Guadagni was an Italian mezzo-soprano castrato singer, most famous for singing the role of Orpheus at the premiere of Gluck's opera Orfeo ed Euridice in 1762.- Career :...
. All of Mysliveček's operas are of the serious type in Italian referred to as opera seria
Opera seria
Opera seria is an Italian musical term which refers to the noble and "serious" style of Italian opera that predominated in Europe from the 1710s to c. 1770...
.
Performance history
The opera was first performed at the Teatro San BenedettoTeatro San Benedetto
The Teatro San Benedetto was a theatre in Venice, particularly prominent in the operatic life of the city in the 18th and early 19th centuries. It saw the premieres of over 140 operas, including Rossini's L'italiana in Algeri, and was the theatre of choice for the presentation of opera seria until...
in Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
on 17 January 1769. It was very successful when it appeared. Indeed, the composer's first biographer, František Martin Pelcl, claimed that Venetian nobles stood in line outside of the theater to applaud his talents. The role of Timante in this production was sung by the great castrato
Castrato
A castrato is a man with a singing voice equivalent to that of a soprano, mezzo-soprano, or contralto voice produced either by castration of the singer before puberty or one who, because of an endocrinological condition, never reaches sexual maturity.Castration before puberty prevents a boy's...
Gaetano Guadagni
Gaetano Guadagni
Gaetano Guadagni was an Italian mezzo-soprano castrato singer, most famous for singing the role of Orpheus at the premiere of Gluck's opera Orfeo ed Euridice in 1762.- Career :...
during the last portion of his long career. Mysliveček's second version
Demofoonte (Mysliveček) (1775)
Demofoonte is an opera in three acts by the Czech composer Josef Mysliveček. It was the composer's second setting of this popular libretto by Metastasio first produced in 1733...
of Demofoonte premiered at the Teatro San Carlo, Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
in 1775.
Connection with Mozart
The overture composed for the opera is the most interesting aspect of the production, since it was extravagantly admired by the young Wolfgang Amadeus MozartWolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , baptismal name Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart , was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music...
. In a short note written to his sister from Milan on 22 December 1770 he urgently requested her to find out whether a copy of it was available in Salzburg. If not, he vowed to bring a copy back home with him. Mozart used the overture as a source of musical motives in his own compositions for years. There is no other attributable music not by Mozart in the entire Mozart correspondence except for the notes for the beginning of the first violin part for this overture that were copied down by Mozart to help his sister identify it.
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere cast, 17 January 1769, Teatro San Benedetto, Venice |
|---|---|---|
| Demofoonte, king of Thrace | tenor Tenor The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2... |
Francesco Zanetti |
| Dircea, secret wife of Timante | soprano Soprano A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody... |
Anna Lucia de Amicis-Buonsollazzi |
| Timante, believed to be the son of Demofoonte and hereditary prince of Thrace | mezzo-soprano Mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano is a type of classical female singing voice whose range lies between the soprano and the contralto singing voices, usually extending from the A below middle C to the A two octaves above... castrato Castrato A castrato is a man with a singing voice equivalent to that of a soprano, mezzo-soprano, or contralto voice produced either by castration of the singer before puberty or one who, because of an endocrinological condition, never reaches sexual maturity.Castration before puberty prevents a boy's... |
Gaetano Guadagni Gaetano Guadagni Gaetano Guadagni was an Italian mezzo-soprano castrato singer, most famous for singing the role of Orpheus at the premiere of Gluck's opera Orfeo ed Euridice in 1762.- Career :... |
| Creusa, a princess of Phrygia, intended bride of Timante | soprano | Marianna Lombardi |
| Cherinto, a son of Demofoonte, in love with Creusa | soprano castrato | Giovanni Ripa |
| Matusio, believed to be the father of Dircea | tenor | Francesco Sandali |
| Adrasto, captain of the royal guards | soprano castrato | Giovanni Caffariello |
Synopsis
The Thracian king Demofoonte asks the oracle of Apollo how long the practice of the annual sacrifice of a virgin will continue. The answer is puzzling: "as long as the innocent usurper sits on the throne". The nobleman Matusio tries to protect his daughter Dircea from being sacrificed. He and Demofoonte are unaware that Dircea is secretly married to Timante, the son of Demofoonte and the heir to the throne. Demofonte wants Timante to marry Creusa, a princess of PhrygiaPhrygia
In antiquity, Phrygia was a kingdom in the west central part of Anatolia, in what is now modern-day Turkey. The Phrygians initially lived in the southern Balkans; according to Herodotus, under the name of Bryges , changing it to Phruges after their final migration to Anatolia, via the...
. Timante's younger brother Cherinto is accompanying her to the kingdom of Thrace, however he falls in love with her. Meeting Creusa, Timante admits that he cannot marry her, but does not explain why.
Dircea has been caught while trying to flee the country and imprisoned, and Demofoonte orders the immediate sacrifice of Dircea. Timante tries to release her but with no success. He is also imprisoned. Creusa asks Demofoonte for mercy. The king releases Timante and Dircea, and Timante decides to give up the throne in favour of Cherinto.
Suddenly they find a letter revealing that Dircea is the daughter of Demofoonte, which makes Timante and Dircea brother and sister. Timante is in despair, and tries to avoid Dircea. However another letter reveals that Timante is the son of Matusio. Everybody is happy. The marriage of Timante and Dircea becomes legal, and Cherinto is the real crown prince and can marry Creusa. No more virgins are sacrificed, since Timante is no longer the "innocent usurper of the throne".
Vocal Set Pieces
Act I, scene 1 - Aria of Matusio, "O più non tremar non voglio"Act I, scene 2 - Aria of Dircea, "In te spero o sposo amato"
Act I, scene 3 - Aria of Demofoonte, "Per lei fra l'armi"
Act I, scene 4 - Aria of Timante, "Sperai vicino al lido"
Act I, scene 7 - Aria of Creusa, "Non curo l'affetto"
Act I, scene 8 - Aria of Cherinto, "Balena in quel sembiante" [a non-Metastasian text]
Act I, scene 12 - Aria of Dircea, "Padre, perdona, o pene"
Act I, scene 14 - Accompanied recitative for Timante, "Infelice Dircea"
Act I, scene 14 - Cavatina of Timante, "Ah no, bell'idol mio"
Act I, scene 14 - Aria of Timante, "Che fiero tormento" [a non-Metastasian text]
Act II, scene 1 - Aria of Creusa, "Tu sai chi son tu sai"
Act II, scene 2 - Aria of Timante, "Prudente mi chiedi?"
Act II, scene 4 - Aria of Matusio, "Vado, ma d'una figlia" [a non-Metastasian text]
Act II, scene 6 - Aria of Dircea, "Se tutti i mali miei"
Act II, scene 7 - Aria of Cherinto, "No, non chiedo amate stelle"
Act II, scene 10 - Aria of Demofoonte, "Perfidi, già che in vita"
Act III, scene 1 - Aria of Adrasto, "Non odi consiglio?"
Act III, scene 4 - Accompanied recitative for Timante, "Misero me"
Act III, scene 5 - Duet for Dircea and Timante, "La destra ti chiedo"
Act III, scene 5 - Aria of Timante, "Misero pargoletto"
Act III, scene 7 - Aria of Dircea, "Che mai risponderti"
Act III, scene 11 - Chorus, "Par maggiore ogni diletto"