Filippo Acciaiuoli
Encyclopedia
Filippo Acciaiuoli was an Italian
composer
, librettist, theater manager, machine designer, and poet
. Acciaiuoli spent much of his youth and early adulthood traveling throughout Europe, the Middle East and Northern Africa. After returning to Rome in his early twenties, he initially studied mathematics at a seminary in Rome but ultimately became interested in theater. He is best known for his work as a librettist for operas such as Jacopo Melani
's Girello, which premiered in Rome in 1668, and as the inventor of numerous sophisticated machines that were used in theatrical productions of the day. He also composed one opera, Chi è cagion del suo mal pianga se stesso, which premiered in Rome in 1682.
Acciaiuoli was the first business manager of the Teatro Tordinona in Rome and later the manager of the Teatro Capranica. He was also a member of l’Academia degli Immobili when Ferdinando Tacca developed its Teatro della Pergola. He had a close association with the court of Médicis. In 1689, Ferdinando II
hired him to create theatrical machinery for the opera Greco in Troia. Contracts for other theatrical productions followed.
Acciaiuoli would also occasionally perform in operas as a dancer. He was a dancer in the interludes of the original 1658 production of Francesco Cavalli
's Hipermestra
, among other productions. He also exerted his talents within puppet theatres, designing machinery and occasionally working as a manipulator of marionettes. It is speculated that he coordinated the various aspects of the production of L’Empio Punito.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, librettist, theater manager, machine designer, and poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
. Acciaiuoli spent much of his youth and early adulthood traveling throughout Europe, the Middle East and Northern Africa. After returning to Rome in his early twenties, he initially studied mathematics at a seminary in Rome but ultimately became interested in theater. He is best known for his work as a librettist for operas such as Jacopo Melani
Jacopo Melani
Jacopo Melani was an Italian composer and violinist of the Baroque era. He was born and died in Pistoia, and was the brother of composer Alessandro Melani and singer Atto Melani.-Works:...
's Girello, which premiered in Rome in 1668, and as the inventor of numerous sophisticated machines that were used in theatrical productions of the day. He also composed one opera, Chi è cagion del suo mal pianga se stesso, which premiered in Rome in 1682.
Acciaiuoli was the first business manager of the Teatro Tordinona in Rome and later the manager of the Teatro Capranica. He was also a member of l’Academia degli Immobili when Ferdinando Tacca developed its Teatro della Pergola. He had a close association with the court of Médicis. In 1689, Ferdinando II
Ferdinando II de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany
Ferdinando II de' Medici was grand duke of Tuscany from 1621 to 1670. He was the eldest child of Cosimo II de' Medici and Maria Maddalena of Austria. His 49 year rule was punctuated by the terminations of the remaining operations of the Medici Bank, and the beginning of Tuscany's long economic...
hired him to create theatrical machinery for the opera Greco in Troia. Contracts for other theatrical productions followed.
Acciaiuoli would also occasionally perform in operas as a dancer. He was a dancer in the interludes of the original 1658 production of Francesco Cavalli
Francesco Cavalli
Francesco Cavalli was an Italian composer of the early Baroque period. His real name was Pietro Francesco Caletti-Bruni, but he is better known by that of Cavalli, the name of his patron Federico Cavalli, a Venetian nobleman.-Life:Cavalli was born at Crema, Lombardy...
's Hipermestra
Hipermestra
Hipermestra is an opera in a prologue and 3 acts by Francesco Cavalli - more specifically, it is a festa teatrale. The opera was set to a libretto by G. A. Moniglia, and was first performed at Florence on 12 June 1658. The plot is based upon the ancient tale of Hypermnestra, a story that later...
, among other productions. He also exerted his talents within puppet theatres, designing machinery and occasionally working as a manipulator of marionettes. It is speculated that he coordinated the various aspects of the production of L’Empio Punito.
Opera librettos
- Il Girello a burlesque operaBurlesqueBurlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects...
by composer Jacopo MelaniJacopo MelaniJacopo Melani was an Italian composer and violinist of the Baroque era. He was born and died in Pistoia, and was the brother of composer Alessandro Melani and singer Atto Melani.-Works:...
(RomeRomeRome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
1668) - L'empio punitoL'empio punitoL'empio punito is an opera by composer Alessandro Melani. Notably the first opera written on the subject of Don Juan, the work uses an Italian language libretto by Giovanni Filippo Apolloni and Filippo Acciaiuoli. The opera was commissioned by Marie Mancini for performance during Carnival of 1669...
, drama per musica by Alessandro MelaniAlessandro MelaniAlessandro Melani was an Italian composer and the brother of composer Jacopo Melani, and castrato singer Atto Melani. Along with Bernardo Pasquini and Alessandro Scarlatti, he was one of the leading composers active in Rome during the 17th century...
(RomeRomeRome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, CarnivalCarnivalCarnaval is a festive season which occurs immediately before Lent; the main events are usually during February. Carnaval typically involves a public celebration or parade combining some elements of a circus, mask and public street party...
1669) The libretto is based on the well known persona of Giovanni Tenorio who was also the basis for Mozart's Don GiovanniDon GiovanniDon Giovanni is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and with an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. It was premiered by the Prague Italian opera at the Teatro di Praga on October 29, 1787...
. - Damira placata, operaOperaOpera 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...
, libretto written with Aurelio Aureli and composer Marc'Antonio ZianiMarc'Antonio ZianiMarc'Antonio Ziani was an Italian composer in Vienna.Marc'Antonio was born in Venice. He probably studied with his uncle, the organist Pietro Andrea Ziani. From 1686 to 1691 Ziani was maestro di cappella to Duke Ferdinando Carlo di Gonzaga in Mantua, but simultaneously developed his career as an...
(VeniceVeniceVenice 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...
, 1680)
Sources
- The New Grove Dictionary of OperaNew Grove Dictionary of OperaThe New Grove Dictionary of Opera is an encyclopedia of opera, considered to be one of the best general reference sources on the subject. It is the largest work on opera in English, and in its printed form, amounts to 5,448 pages in four volumes....
, edited by Stanley Sadie (1992), 5,448 pages, ISBN 0-333-73432-7 and ISBN 1-56159-228-5 - The Oxford Dictionary of Opera, by John Warrack and Ewan West (1992), 782 pages, ISBN 0-19-869164-5