Alessandro Pepoli (1757–1796), was an Italian librettist and author of tragedies. Born in

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

, Pepoli sought to be considered a literary rival to

Vittorio Alfieri Count Vittorio Alfieri (, also , ; 16 January 17498 October 1803) was an Italian dramatist and poet, considered the "founder of Italian tragedy." He wrote nineteen tragedies, sonnets, satires, and a notable autobiography. Early life Alfieri was ...

, often writing his own takes on topics previously addressed by Alfieri.Peter Hainsworth and David Robey, eds., "Pepoli, Alessandro, Count", ''The Oxford Companion to Italian Literature'' (2002), p. 450. Styling himself as a champion of

liberty Liberty is the ability to do as one pleases, or a right or immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant (i.e. privilege). It is a synonym for the word freedom. In modern politics, liberty is understood as the state of being free within society fr ...

, in 1783, he wrote an essay on freedom, advocating political reform. Other noted works include: * ''Anna Bolena'', a libretto recounting the life of

Anne Boleyn Anne Boleyn (; 1501 or 1507 – 19 May 1536) was Queen of England from 1533 to 1536, as the second wife of King Henry VIII. The circumstances of her marriage and of her execution by beheading for treason and other charges made her a key f ...

, the second wife of England's King Henry VIII. Similar treatments were done in the same period by

Felice Romani Giuseppe Felice Romani (31 January 178828 January 1865) was an Italian poet and scholar of literature and mythology who wrote many librettos for the opera composers Donizetti and Bellini. Romani was considered the finest Italian librettist betw ...

(''

Anna Bolena ''Anna Bolena'' is a tragic opera (''tragedia lirica'') in two acts composed by Gaetano Donizetti. Felice Romani wrote the Italian libretto after Ippolito Pindemonte's ''Enrico VIII ossia Anna Bolena'' and Alessandro Pepoli's ''Anna Bolena'', bo ...

'') and

Ippolito Pindemonte Ippolito Pindemonte (November 13, 1753 – November 18, 1828) was an Italian poet. He was educated at the Collegio di San Carlo in Modena, but otherwise spent most of his life in Verona. He was born into an aristocratic family, and travelled ...

(''Enrico VIII ossia Anna Bolena''). * A libretto for an opera by

Giovanni Paisiello Giovanni Paisiello (or Paesiello; 9 May 1740 – 5 June 1816) was an Italian composer of the Classical era, and was the most popular opera composer of the late 1700s. His operatic style influenced Mozart and Rossini. Life Paisiello was born in T ...

entitled ''

I giuochi d'Agrigento ''I giuochi d'Agrigento'' is an opera by Giovanni Paisiello to a libretto by Count Alessandro Pepoli with which the rebuilt La Fenice in Venice was inaugurated on 16 May 1792. The castrato Gasparo Pacchierotti lead the cast. The plot is set aga ...

'' with which the theater, La Fenice, was inaugurated on 16 May 1792. * A six-page summary translation of John Milton's '' Paradise Lost'', ''Prospetto del "Paradiso Perduto" di Giovanni Milton Tradotto in versi sciolti da Alessandro Pepoli'', printed in Venice in 1795.William Bridges Hunter, ''A Milton Encyclopedia'' (1983), Vol. 8, p. 82. * A tragedy ''Agamennone'' published in Venice in 1794 and rival of the tragedy with the same subject of Alfieri

References

External links

Alessandro Pèpoli at www.ariannaeditrice.it
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pepoli, Alessandro 1757 births 1796 deaths Italian librettists Italian male writers 18th-century Venetian writers