Apostolo Zeno: critical edition of the drammi per musica

A study on Apostolo Zeno, one of the key figures of the libretto-history at the turn of the seventeenth and eighteenth century, is of fundamental importance to understand the baroque music drama. This research project provides the critical edition of his drammi per musica, accompanied by a monograph with particular emphasis on the impact of his poetry at the Viennese court. Before he was appointed court poet in 1718 he was active in Venice, where there was a the lively literary world that leads to hybrid forms of music theater (like the pastorale eroica, tragedia- and tragicommedia per musica) and the beginnings of so-called Metastasios reform of the libretto. In this context, great importance is also the analysis of Zenos poetry in the venetian cultural context at the turn of the two centuries, in order to deepen the change in taste that led to the subsequent libretto reform. According to the traditional view, reported in many textbooks, a change of musical dramaturgical criteria is going on from the late seventeenth century to the early eighteenth century which is described, in varying ways, as a reform or as a transition from a dramaturgy of the Spanish mold to the French one. The most mentioned protagonists in this context are actually Zeno and Metastasio, both strongly linked to the Arcadia. However, the so-called reform is much more complex, as well as persistent local traditions (also related to active literary academies in the Venetian domains such as the Accademia dei Ricovrati, degli Incogniti, degli Imperfetti, etc) and some individual contributions outline an articulated and multiform image of that period. A critical analysis of Zenos early Venetian dramas in the context of the librettists of his time or belonging to the previous generation will deepen Zenos contribution to the genre of the libretto at this crucial period in the history of dramatic theater. Within the framework of this research it must be highlighted the cooperation between Zeno and Pietro Pariati that continued during their first years in Vienna, and the evolution of his poetry linked to the passage from the commercial venetian theater with impresari to the Habsburg court theater. In order to study the impact of Zenos poetry at the Viennese court will also be considered his predecessors Silvio Stampiglia and, above all, with regard to the laudatory production, Giovanni Claudio Pasquini with whom Zeno shared for some years the Viennese scene. Through the study of the correspondence with the most influential intellectuals of that time, it will also be highlighted the figure of Zeno as an intellectual in an European literary network.

A study on Apostolo Zeno, one of the key figures of the libretto-history at the turn of the seventeenth and eighteenth century, is of fundamental importance to understand the baroque music drama. This research project provides the critical edition of his drammi per musica, accompanied by a monograph with particular emphasis on the impact of his poetry at the Viennese court. Before he was appointed court poet in 1718 he was active in Venice, where there was a the lively literary world that leads to hybrid forms of music theater (like the "pastorale eroica", "tragedia"- and "tragicommedia per musica") and the beginnings of so-called 'Metastasio's reform of the libretto'. In this context, great importance is also the analysis of Zeno's poetry in the venetian cultural context at the turn of the two centuries, in order to deepen the change in taste that led to the subsequent 'libretto reform'. According to the traditional view, reported in many textbooks, a change of musical dramaturgical criteria is going on from the late seventeenth century to the early eighteenth century which is described, in varying ways, as a 'reform' or as a transition from a dramaturgy of the Spanish mold to the French one. The most mentioned protagonists in this context are actually Zeno and Metastasio who were both strongly linked to the Arcadia. However, the so-called 'reform' is much more complex, as well as persistent local traditions (also related to active literary academies in the Venetian domains such as the Accademia dei Ricovrati, degli Incogniti, degli Imperfetti, etc) and some individual contributions outline an articulated and multiform image of that period. Within the framework of this research it must be highlighted the cooperation between Apostolo Zeno and Pietro Pariati that it is continued during their first years in Vienna, and the evolution of his poetry linked to the passage from the impresariale Venetian teatro to the Habsburg court theater. In order to study the impact of Zeno's poetry at the Viennese court will also be considered his predecessors Silvio Stampiglia and, above all, with regard to the laudatory production, Giovanni Claudio Pasquini with whom Zeno shared for some years the Viennese scene. Through the study of the correspondence with the most influential intellectuals of that time, it will also be highlighted the figure of Zeno as an intellectual in an European literary network.