Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

L’euridice , The Second Opera (1600)

2002; Universidad Externado de Colombia; Linguagem: Inglês

10.1093/oso/9780195116373.003.0003

2346-2159

Piero Weiss,

Diverse Musicological Studies

Abstract La Dafne, a “fable” by Ottavio Rinuccini set to music by Jacopo Peri and Jacopo Corsi, was the first opera. “It was performed in a small room and sung privately,” according to Pietro Bardi, who was there (seep. 8 above). It is quite possible that Peri was first apprised of Corsi’s and Rinuccini’s project “as early as 1594,” as he himself states (p. 15 below); but the most informed guess as to its first performance would place it in the carnival season of 1597-98. There are no questions, on the other hand, about the date of the very pub!ic premiere of the second opera, L’Euridice. That took place at the Pitti Palace, Florence, on 6 October 1600 in the presence of Maria de’ Medici, whose marriage to King Henry IV of France was being celebrated throughout the city in the grandest Medici style. A description of the event appeared in a printed account of the festivities by Michelangelo Buonarroti the Younger (grandnephew of the great artist). Only two stage settings were needed for the short work, but it is evident from the description below that no expense was spared to make them impressive. Elaborate stage effects were nothing new (see pp. 2-7 above), and it is worth noting therefore that, while the sung dialogue of early opera was innovative and experimental, the scenic component had by then reached a high degree of sophistication.