La catena d'Adone
Encyclopedia
La catena d'Adone is the only surviving opera
by the Italian
composer Domenico Mazzocchi
. It was commissioned by Cardinal Ippolito Aldobrandini
and first performed at the Palazzo Conti, Rome
on February 12, 1626. The libretto
, in a prologue and five acts, is by Ottavio Tronsarelli and is based on episodes from Giambattista Marino's epic poem Adone (1623).
and aria
grew more distinct in this work as Mazzocchi tried to escape what he called the "monotony" of Florentine opera.
(tenor
) and cyclopes
. The opera itself has roles for the enchantress Falsirena (soprano
); Adone
(alto
); Plutone (bass); Venere
(soprano); Idonia (soprano) and Arsete (bass), advisers of Falsirena ; Oraspe (tenor) ; Amore
(soprano) ; Eco
(alto) ; nymphs and shepherds. At the premiere, Falsirena was sung by the composer and castrato
Loreto Vittori
.
, for the young Adone. In the opera proper (drawn from Cantos XII and XIII of Marino's poem), Adone has to flee from Venere's former lover, the god Marte, and takes refuge in the land of the enchantress Falsirena, who falls in love with him. Falsirena keeps him captive in her realm by means of a magic, invisible chain. She asks Plutone to find out who Adone's love is, then pretends to be Venere. But the real goddess arrives, frees Adone and binds Falsirena to a rock with her own chain.
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...
by the Italian
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 Domenico Mazzocchi
Domenico Mazzocchi
Domenico Mazzocchi was an Italian baroque composer of the generation after Claudio Monteverdi. He was a composer of only vocal music, motets, oratorios and madrigals which have continuo, similar to the late Monteverdi's ones....
. It was commissioned by Cardinal Ippolito Aldobrandini
Ippolito Aldobrandini
Ippolito Aldobrandini may refer to:* Pope Clement VIII * Ippolito Aldobrandini...
and first performed at the Palazzo Conti, Rome
Rome
Rome 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...
on February 12, 1626. The libretto
Libretto
A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata, or musical. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata, or even the story line of a...
, in a prologue and five acts, is by Ottavio Tronsarelli and is based on episodes from Giambattista Marino's epic poem Adone (1623).
Historical importance
La catena d'Adone was an important step in the development of Roman opera. The demarcation between recitativeRecitative
Recitative , also known by its Italian name "recitativo" , is a style of delivery in which a singer is allowed to adopt the rhythms of ordinary speech...
and aria
Aria
An aria in music was originally any expressive melody, usually, but not always, performed by a singer. The term is now used almost exclusively to describe a self-contained piece for one voice usually with orchestral accompaniment...
grew more distinct in this work as Mazzocchi tried to escape what he called the "monotony" of Florentine opera.
Roles
The prologue includes ApolloApollo
Apollo is one of the most important and complex of the Olympian deities in Greek and Roman mythology...
(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...
) and cyclopes
Cyclops
A cyclops , in Greek mythology and later Roman mythology, was a member of a primordial race of giants, each with a single eye in the middle of his forehead...
. The opera itself has roles for the enchantress Falsirena (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...
); Adone
Adonis
Adonis , in Greek mythology, the god of beauty and desire, is a figure with Northwest Semitic antecedents, where he is a central figure in various mystery religions. The Greek , Adōnis is a variation of the Semitic word Adonai, "lord", which is also one of the names used to refer to God in the Old...
(alto
Alto
Alto is a musical term, derived from the Latin word altus, meaning "high" in Italian, that has several possible interpretations.When designating instruments, "alto" frequently refers to a member of an instrumental family that has the second highest range, below that of the treble or soprano. Hence,...
); Plutone (bass); Venere
Venus
Venus is the second planet from the Sun, orbiting it every 224.7 Earth days. The planet is named after Venus, the Roman goddess of love and beauty. After the Moon, it is the brightest natural object in the night sky, reaching an apparent magnitude of −4.6, bright enough to cast shadows...
(soprano); Idonia (soprano) and Arsete (bass), advisers of Falsirena ; Oraspe (tenor) ; Amore
Cupid
In Roman mythology, Cupid is the god of desire, affection and erotic love. He is the son of the goddess Venus and the god Mars. His Greek counterpart is Eros...
(soprano) ; Eco
Echo (mythology)
In Greek mythology, Ekho , "echo", itself from ἦχος , "sound") was an Oread who loved her own voice. Zeus loved consorting with beautiful nymphs and visited them on Earth often. Eventually, Zeus's wife, Hera, became suspicious, and came from Mt...
(alto) ; nymphs and shepherds. At the premiere, Falsirena was sung by the composer and 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...
Loreto Vittori
Loreto Vittori
Loreto Vittori was an Italian castrato and composer. From 1622 until his death he was as a soprano singer in the papal chapel in Rome.-Life:...
.
Synopsis
In the prologue, Apollo descends from the clouds and laments Venere's desertion of her husband, the god VulcanVulcano
thumb| The Gran Cratere. A sense of scale is provided by the tourist visible near the centre of the crater.thumb|right|250px|View of Vulcano from the island of Lipari. The green islet centre left is Vulcanello, which is connected to Vulcano by an isthmus...
, for the young Adone. In the opera proper (drawn from Cantos XII and XIII of Marino's poem), Adone has to flee from Venere's former lover, the god Marte, and takes refuge in the land of the enchantress Falsirena, who falls in love with him. Falsirena keeps him captive in her realm by means of a magic, invisible chain. She asks Plutone to find out who Adone's love is, then pretends to be Venere. But the real goddess arrives, frees Adone and binds Falsirena to a rock with her own chain.
Sources
- A Short History of Opera by Donald Jay Grout (Columbia University Press, 2003 ed.)
- Del Teatro (Italian)
- Magazine de l'opéra baroque (in French)