Opera in Arcadia: Rome, Florence and Venice in the primo settecento (Italy, Alessandro Scarlatti, George Frideric Handel, England, Antonio Caldara)

This dissertation investigates the influence of Arcadian literary reform on early eighteenth-century Italian opera. The introductory chapters provide a brief history of the founding of the Arcadian Academy, and an exposition of the principal ideas proposed for literary reform of the opera libretto. Turning to composers who were associated with the Arcadian Academy, the final chapters concern specific operas that exhibit adherence to the Arcadian ideal.; In the first historical criticism of Italian literature (Dell'Istoria della Volgar Poesia, Rome 1698), Giovanni Maria Crescimbeni determined a series of principles to be followed for contemporary dramatic works, based on Aristotle's classical rules of tragedy. By advocating a natural style of poetry, he created a backlash against the stilted, bizarre style of the early Baroque period. Crescimbeni's theoretical treatises led the way for future works by other Arcadians.; Three composers actively participated in Arcadian literary reform through conscious application of the movement's philosophies in their operas—Antonio Caldara, George Frideric Handel, and Alessandro Scarlatti. Caldara became associated with the Academy through Roman patron Francesco Maria Ruspoli, a wealthy cardinal who supported a large circle of musicians in association with the Academy meetings at his palace. Caldara's opera L'Anagilda (1711) was performed in Ruspoli's domestic theater.; Handel and Scarlatti also participated in Ruspoli's musical-academic gatherings. Handel's opera Rodrigo (1707) was performed in another Arcadian context, however, in the Pratolino theater of Prince Ferdinando de' Medici outside of Florence. Ferdinando supported many composers and librettists of the Academy, thereby creating an unofficial Arcadian colony in Florence. Handel's opera Agrippina (1709), performed in Venice at the San Grisostomo, theater, also exhibits elements of Arcadian reform. Scarlatti's Il Mitridate Eupatore (1707) was also performed there, and showcases Arcadian reform through its author's strict use of Arcadian structure in the libretto. Each opera demonstrates practical application of Arcadian ideal through textual and musical drama.