HMR Project: History of Music & Modern Recording

Metastasio

Metastasio C 1770

Painting: Martin van Meytens

Pietro Antonio Domenico Trapassi, better known as Metastasio, wasn't a Shakespeare in terms of literature, but his is an imposing figure in the history of the opera libretto, his work illuminating stages in the Holy Roman Empire for several decades the way Shakespeare had earlier owned London theatre. Providing lyric for operas, oratorios, cantatas, canzonettas, et al, Metastasio's works had been translated into French, English, German, Spanish and modern Greek during his lifetime. His writing career during the Baroque bridged to the Classical period and was influential to the Romantic.

Master of opera seria, Metastasio was born in Rome on 3 January 1698 to a father once a soldier in the papal forces become a grocer. A precocious child, Metastasio entertained on the streets with impromptu verses on subjects suggested by his audiences, imagining numerous strophes at a time. One such performance won him the adoptive care of Giovanni Vincenzo Gravina, an eminent lawyer and founder of the literary Arcadian Academy. This also brought Metastasio an education in jurisprudence and Latin that his father alone could in no way swing. It was Gravina from whom Metastasio got his name, an Hellenization of his actual name which was Trepassi. In addition to studying law during the day Metastasio was a master of improvisational poetry by night. This was a grueling schedule from which Metastasio's health began to fail, for which reason Gravina first took his prodigy to Naples to introduce him to his circle there, then to Scaléa where he entered Metastasio into the care of Gregorio Caroprese who nursed him back to health in the absence of improvisational poetry.

Metastasio was age twelve when, improvisation removed from his life, he translated Homer's 'Iliad' into octave stanzas. He wrote his first tragedy, 'Giustino', two years later, which saw publishing in 1717 despite Metastasio's dislike of it as a juvenile work. Caroprese died in 1714 followed by Gravina in 1718, the latter leaving Metastasio with fifteen thousand scudi. If you consider that 15,000 scudi could buy you several very nice houses, or a casino, you could say that Metastasio might have retired at age twenty. But he depleted it all in a couple of years, so entered the legal profession.

Metastasio premiered his serenata, 'L'Angelica', also referred to as 'Angelica e Medoro', on 28 August 1720 in Naples with a setting by Niccolo Porpora. Metastasio had borrowed from Ariosto's 'Orlando Furioso' for that, based itself on Matteo Maria Boiardo's 'Orlando Innamorato'. 'L'Angelica' in celebration of the 29th birthday of Elizabeth Christine, it was also the stage debut of fifteen year-old castrato, Farinelli, among the more famous singers in opera history. Castration was nothing new in music. Beginning as a means of subjugating slaves, eunuchs were employed in choirs in Constantinople as early as circa 400 AD. Castrati, more politely called musici, were to opera what good bass singers were to barbershop or doo wop in the 20th century with the exception that musici were the glamor pigs of their age, more politely called stars, nor the stardom of only a popular baritone in a vocal group, but big, as in fame rivaling that of sopranos. Most castrati saw the knife between the ages of eight and twelve. Getting snipped was dangerous, but were you desperately poor at age ten the huge gamble on becoming a star, which only a few of the thousands who saw surgery did, could look better than present actualities. The delicacy of a musico's high pitch delivered with adult lungs was among the attractions of opera throughout its history, existing into the 20th century though largely falling away in the 19th.

'Il Piè S'Allontana' ('The Foot Moves Away') Pietro Metastasio

From the serenata 'Angelica e Medoro' set by Nicolo Porpora

Premiere 28 August 1720 in Naples

Sopranista: Valer Barna-Sabadus w Concerto Köln

Metastasio's serenata, 'L'Endimione', premiered on 9 June 1721 in Naples with its setting composed by Domenico Sarro. That was an epithalamium dedicated to Marianna Pignatelli in celebration of the wedding of Antonio Pignatelli, Prince of Belmonte, to Anna Pinelli di Sangro. An epithalamium is a poem written for a bride on her way to the marital chamber. Marianna Pignatelli was a Spanish aristocrat who would play an important role in Metastasio's life as his main line to nobility. Pignatelli was mistress to Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI who had arranged her 1712 marriage to the Count of Althann, the latter dying in 1722. Pignatelli would later gain Metastasio a position at Charles' court, they also to fashion a romantic relationship. The setting to 'L'Endimione' below was composed by Johann Michael Haydn in 1776 more than half a century after Sarro's:

'L'Endimione' ('The Demon') Epithalamium by Pietro Metastasio

Premiere 9 June 1721 in Naples w setting by Domenico Sarro

Setting for performance above by Michael Haydn in 1776

Countertenor: Endimione

Sopran: Aleksandra Zamojska / Ulrike Hofbauer / Lydia Teuscher

Orchestra Salzburger Hofmusik conducted by Graziano Mandozzi

Countertenor: Endimione

Salzburg University Mozarteum 3 Oct 2018

The premiere of Metastasio's serenata, 'Gli orti esperidi', was 28 August 1721, another birthday celebration for Elizabeth Christine, now her 30th, with its setting by Porpora. 'The Gardens of the Hesperides' won Metastasio quarters in the home of soprano, Marianna Bulgarelli, in Rome in 1722, she having played the role of Venus. Metastasio's 'Didone Abbandonata', an opera set by Sarro with a title role filled by Bulgarelli, premiered during Carnival in Naples on 2 February 1724. That was a highly popular libretto which saw continuous presentations as other composers created new settings for it (Albinoni, Porpora, Vinci, et al).

'Giusto amor tu che m’accendi' ('Right love who lights me up') Pietro Metastasio

From the serenata 'Gli Orti Esperidi' ('The Gardens of the Hesperides') set by Nicolo Porpora

Premiere 28 August 1721 in Naples

Countertenor: Philippe Jaroussky w the Venice Baroque Orchestra conducted Andrea Marco

Album: 'Jaroussky | Farinelli | Porpora Arias' / Warner Classics / Erato 50999 9341302 2

'Didone Abbandonata' Opera by Pietro Metastasio

Premiere 2 February 1724 in Naples w setting by Domenico Sarro

Alto: Steve Wächter Sopran: Ulrike Bartsch Les Amis de Philippe directed by Ludger Rémy

During the twenties Metastasio averaged about 300 scudi per opera. Though that was nothing to sniffle about, he found it limiting, so went to Vienna in 1729 to become court poet to Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI, assisted in that by Pignatelli. Metastasio made Vienna his home for the next half century of his career. Come the opera, 'The Olimpiad', on 28 August 1731 with music by Antonio Caldera who had five years left to live. The opera, 'Demetrio', premiered on 4 November of 1731 also with a setting by Caldera. Caldera and Metastasio also collaborated on the opera, 'Demofoonte', first performed on 4 November 1733.

'The Olimpiad' Opera by Pietro Metastasio

Premiere 28 August 1731 in Vienna w setting by Antonio Caldara

Venice Baroque Orchestra conducted by Markellos Chryssicos

Metastasio was left yet another fortune when Bulgarelli suddenly died in 1734. Not expecting such generosity, he renounced it, feeling guilt for ill feelings he'd had against her. The serpent of the thing is that the fortune then went to Bulgarelli's surviving husband who married again, while Metastasio's own father, brother and sister struggled. Come another birthday celebration on 1 October 1735, now for the fiftieth year of Charles VI in the one-act 'Il Sogno di Scipione' ('The Dream of Scipio') with music by Luca Antonio Predieri. Mozart supplied a setting for 'Il Sogno di Scipione' a few decades later in Milan in 1771 per K 126 [Chandos / Hyperion / IMSLP]:

'Il Sogno di Scipione' 'The Dream of Scipio' Serenata by Pietro Metastasio

Premiere 1 October 1735 in Vienna w setting by Luca Antonio Predieri

Setting for performance above by Mozart per K 126 in 1771 Milan

Choeur des Musiciens du Louvre

Freiburger Barockorchester conducted by Gottfried von der Goltz

Charles VI died in 1740, but Metastasio's relationship with Countess Althann (Pignatelli above) continued to her death in 1755, during which time 'L'Eroe Cinese' ('The Chinese Hero') premiered in Vienna in the spring of 1752 with its setting by Giuseppe Bonno. Franz Schubert's setting below was written seventy years later in 1820 [IMSLP]:

'Da Quel Sembiante Appresi' 'From That Semblance I Learned' Pietro Metastasio

From the opera 'L'Eroe Cinese' ('The Chinese Hero') set by Giuseppe Bonno

Premiere spring 1752 at the Schönbrunn Theatre in Vienna

Setting for performance above by Schubert per D 688 in 1820

Piano: Matin Katz Tenor: Lawrence Brownlee Lyrics

Metastasio wrote his last libretto for the wedding of Archduke Ferdinand Karl with Maria Beatrice d'Este in Milan, there premiering on 16 October 1771 with a setting by Johann Hasse: 'Il Ruggiero o Vero L'Eroica Gratitudine' ('Il Ruggiero or True Heroic Gratiude'), also Hasse's last opera.

'De quello ch'io provo' 'Of What I Feel' Pietro Metastasio

From the opera 'Il Ruggiero o Vero L'Eroica Gratitudine' ('Il Ruggiero or True Heroic Gratiude')

Premiere 16 October 1771 at the Teatro Regio Ducale in Milan set by Johann Adolph Hasse

Sopranista: Valer Barna-Sabadus w the Concerto Köln

Metastasio died on 12 April 1782, Farinelli following the same year on 16 September. Metastasio left a legacy of 130,000 florins. These days 130,000 florins approach about $73,000; in Metastasio's day it approached huge wealth like poets don't commonly experience.

Sources & References for Castratti:

Case Western Reserve University

Classic FM

Sean Coughlan

Samantha Ellis

Sony France / François Velde

James L. Franklin (Part 1)

James L. Franklin (Part 2)