''Dido, Queen of Carthage'' was an

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...

in three acts by

Stephen Storace Stephen John Seymour Storace (4 April 1762 – 19 March 1796) was an English composer of the Classical era, known primarily for his operas. His sister was the famous opera singer Nancy Storace. He was born in London in the Parish of St Marylebo ...

. Its English

libretto A libretto (Italian for "booklet") is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the t ...

by Prince Hoare was adapted from

Metastasio Pietro Antonio Domenico Trapassi (3 January 1698 – 12 April 1782), better known by his pseudonym of Pietro Metastasio (), was an Italian poet and librettist, considered the most important writer of ''opera seria'' libretti. Early life Me ...

's 1724 libretto, ''

Didone abbandonata ''Didone abbandonata'' is an opera libretto in three acts by Pietro Metastasio. It was his first original work and was set to music by Domenico Sarro in 1724. The opera was accompanied by the intermezzo '' L'impresario delle Isole Canarie'', also ...

'' (''Dido Abandoned''), which had been set by many composers. Storace's opera premiered on 23 May 1792 at

The King's Theatre Her Majesty's Theatre is a West End theatre situated on Haymarket in the City of Westminster, London. The present building was designed by Charles J. Phipps and was constructed in 1897 for actor-manager Herbert Beerbohm Tree, who established t ...

in London combined with a performance of his

masque The masque was a form of festive courtly entertainment that flourished in 16th- and early 17th-century Europe, though it was developed earlier in Italy, in forms including the intermedio (a public version of the masque was the pageant). A masque ...

, ''Neptune's Prophecy''. The story is based on that of

Dido Dido ( ; , ), also known as Elissa ( , ), was the legendary founder and first queen of the Phoenician city-state of Carthage (located in modern Tunisia), in 814 BC. In most accounts, she was the queen of the Phoenician city-state of Tyre (t ...

and

Aeneas In Greco-Roman mythology, Aeneas (, ; from ) was a Trojan hero, the son of the Trojan prince Anchises and the Greek goddess Aphrodite (equivalent to the Roman Venus). His father was a first cousin of King Priam of Troy (both being grandsons ...

in the fourth book of Virgil's ''

Aeneid The ''Aeneid'' ( ; la, Aenē̆is or ) is a Latin Epic poetry, epic poem, written by Virgil between 29 and 19 BC, that tells the legendary story of Aeneas, a Troy, Trojan who fled the Trojan_War#Sack_of_Troy, fall of Troy and travelled to ...

''. The opera was not a success and was never revived after its original run of performances. The score has been lost.

Background and performance history

''Dido, Queen of Carthage'', was Storace's first ''

opera seria ''Opera seria'' (; plural: ''opere serie''; usually called ''dramma per musica'' or ''melodramma serio'') is an Italian musical term which refers to the noble and "serious" style of Italian opera that predominated in Europe from the 1710s to abo ...

'', and the fourth of his operas to be written for the London stage. His librettist, Prince Hoare, had previously worked with Storace on several

afterpiece An afterpiece is a short, usually humorous one-act playlet or musical work following the main attraction, the full-length play, and concluding the theatrical evening.p24 "The Chambers Dictionary"Edinburgh, Chambers,2003 This short comedy, farce, o ...

s, including '' No song, no supper'' and ''The Cave of Trophonius''. His re-working of Metastasio's ''Didone abbandonata'' was to be Hoare's first full-length opera libretto. The 1792 edition of the libretto described the music as "principally new, and composed by Mr. Storace", although there were some arias with music from previous settings of Metastasio's text, most notably

Antonio Sacchini Antonio Maria Gasparo Gioacchino Sacchini (14 June 1730 – 6 October 1786) was an Italian composer, best known for his operas. Sacchini was born in Florence, but raised in Naples, where he received his musical education. He made a name for him ...

's "Son regina e sono amante". Operas set to Metastasio's ''Didone abbandonata'' were not new to the London stage. Previous productions had included:

Leonardo Vinci Leonardo Vinci (1690 – 27 May 1730) was an Italian composer known chiefly for his 40 or so operas; comparatively little of his work in other genres survives. A central proponent of the Neapolitan School of opera, his influence on subseque ...

's ''Didone abbandonata'' (

Royal Opera House The Royal Opera House (ROH) is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. It is the home of The Royal Op ...

, 1737); Johann Hasse's ''Didone'' (

, 1748); Vincenzo Ciampi's ''Didone'' (The King's Theatre, 1754);

Baldassare Galuppi Baldassare Galuppi (18 October 17063 January 1785) was an Italian composer, born on the island of Burano in the Venetian Republic. He belonged to a generation of composers, including Johann Adolph Hasse, Giovanni Battista Sammartini, and C. ...

's ''La Didone abbandonata'' (The King's Theatre, 1761); Antonio Sacchini's ''Didone abbandonata'' (The King's Theatre, 1775); and

Pasquale Anfossi Pasquale Anfossi (5 April 1727 – February 1797) was an Italian opera composer. Born in Taggia, Liguria, he studied with Niccolò Piccinni and Antonio Sacchini, and worked mainly in London, Venice and Rome. He wrote more than 80 operas, both ...

's pastiche opera ''Didone abbandonata'' (The King's Theatre, 1786) The lead singers of Storace's opera were well known to London audiences. The celebrated German

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical female singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hz to "high A" (A5) = 880&n ...

, Elisabeth Mara, who sang the role of Dido, had made her London stage debut in 1786 in the title role of Anfossi's ''Didone abbandonata'' and had sung at the King's Theatre several times in the intervening years. The role of Aeneas was sung ''

en travesti En or EN may refer to: Businesses * Bouygues (stock symbol EN) * Esquimalt and Nanaimo Railway (reporting mark EN, but now known as Southern Railway of Vancouver Island) * Euronews, a news television and internet channel Language and writing * ...

'' by the English soprano and stage actress,

Anna Maria Crouch Anna Maria Crouch (20 April 1763 – 2 October 1805), often referred to as Mrs Crouch, was a singer and stage actress in the London theatre. She was (briefly) a mistress of George, Prince of Wales. Biography Born Anna Maria Phillips, she firs ...

. Her lover and frequent stage partner, Michael Kelly, sang the

tenor A tenor is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The lo ...

role of Iarbas. The pair had appeared in several earlier works by Storace, including ''No song, no supper'' (1790) and ''

The Siege of Belgrade ''The Siege of Belgrade'' is a comic opera in three acts, principally composed by Stephen Storace to an English libretto by James Cobb. It incorporated music by Mozart, Salieri, Paisiello and Martini, and is therefore considered a pasticcio oper ...

'' (1791) and would later appear in his comic opera '' The Pirates''. ''Dido, Queen of Carthage'' opened on 23 May 1792 at The King's Theatre and was scheduled to run for five performances, one of which (28 May) was a benefit performance for Storace. The production was a lavish one with sets and stage machinery by the noted stage designer, Thomas Greenwood. According to a review in ''

The Morning Herald The ''Morning Herald'' was an early daily newspaper in the United Kingdom. The newspaper was founded in 1780 by the Reverend Sir Henry Bate Dudley, former editor of ''The Morning Post''. It was initially a liberal paper aligned with the Prince o ...

'' (24 May 1792), "a procession was introduced in which an ostrich, a

dromedary The dromedary (''Camelus dromedarius'' or ;), also known as the dromedary camel, Arabian camel, or one-humped camel, is a large even-toed ungulate, of the genus ''Camelus'', with one hump on its back. It is the tallest of the three species of ...

and an elephant marched to slow music". Despite the pageantry, the opera's reception by audiences and critics was tepid and the work was never revived after its initial run. The British playwright and theatre critic,

James Boaden James Boaden (23 May 1762 – 16 February 1839) was an English biographer, dramatist, and journalist. Biographer He was the son of William Boaden, a merchant in the Russia trade. He was born at Whitehaven, Cumberland, on 23 May 1762, and at ...

, attended the opening night and later recalled:

Mr. Prince Hoare was employed upon the ''Didone Abbandonata'' of Metastasio; and fitted its music, I fear, not with syllable, but English words, distributed into
recitative Recitative (, also known by its Italian name "''recitativo''" ()) is a style of delivery (much used in operas, oratorios, and cantatas) in which a singer is allowed to adopt the rhythms and delivery of ordinary speech. Recitative does not repea ...
and
air The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing for ...
; and Dido, with immense splendour of scenery, dresses, and decorations, was brought out on the 23rd of May. Madame Mara was your Dido, Kelly Iarbas, and the pious Eneas Mrs Crouch herself! There was, for garnish, a masque, in which Bannister was the Neptune, Miss Collins Venus, and the three Graces, Misses Decamp, Jacobs, and Heard. And yet, all this, with the aid of Sedgewick, and Dignum, and Master Welsh, with
supernumeraries Supernumerary actors are usually amateur character actors in opera and ballet performances who train under professional direction to create a believable scene. Definition The term's original use, from the Latin ''supernumerarius'', meant someon ...
out of number, lived only three or four nights, and then vanished like a dream. But the power of Metastasio must not suffer from the harshness of another language, and the taste of a people requiring bolder situations in the drama and a crowd of incidents arranged with little artifice, and ambitious of only striking effects.

No copies of Storace's score exist. It was never published and the original was lost (possibly in the fire that destroyed the

Theatre Royal, Drury Lane The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, commonly known as Drury Lane, is a West End theatre and Grade I listed building in Covent Garden, London, England. The building faces Catherine Street (earlier named Bridges or Brydges Street) and backs onto Dr ...

in 1809).

Roles

– created by

Gertrud Elisabeth Mara Gertrud Elisabeth Mara (née Schmeling) (23 February 1749 – 20 January 1833) was a German operatic soprano. Life She was born in Kassel, the daughter of a poor musician, Johann Schmeling. From him she learnt to play the violin, and while st ...

– created by

*Iarbas – created by Michael Kelly *Abdalla – created by

Charles Dignum Charles Dignum (c. 1765 – 29 March 1827) was a popular tenor singer, actor and composer of English birth and Irish parentage who was active in recital, concert and theatre stage, mainly in London, for about thirty years. Origins and early train ...

*Almidah – created by Thomas Sedgwick *Anna – created by Caroline Barclay *''Trojan soldiers, Getulian and Numidian troops, Trojan and Carthaginian attendants''

Synopsis

Sacchi, Andrea - The Death of Dido - 17th c

Main opera: ''Dido, Queen of Carthage'' :''Setting: Ancient

Carthage Carthage was the capital city of Ancient Carthage, on the eastern side of the Lake of Tunis in what is now Tunisia. Carthage was one of the most important trading hubs of the Ancient Mediterranean and one of the most affluent cities of the classi ...

'' Dido, Queen of Carthage, is promised in marriage to Iarbas, King of

Getulia Gaetuli was the Romanised name of an ancient Berber tribe inhabiting ''Getulia''. The latter district covered the large desert region south of the Atlas Mountains, bordering the Sahara. Other documents place Gaetulia in pre-Roman times along th ...

but has fallen in love with the

Trojan Trojan or Trojans may refer to: * Of or from the ancient city of Troy * Trojan language, the language of the historical Trojans Arts and entertainment Music * ''Les Troyens'' ('The Trojans'), an opera by Berlioz, premiered part 1863, part 1890 ...

warrior Aeneas, who had been shipwrecked on the shores of her city. Iarbas appears (disguised as his own ambassador and using the name "Orodes") to warn Dido that Aeneas cannot become King of Carthage. Nevertheless, Dido refuses to marry Iarbas. Although Aeneas is now in love with Dido, he asks her sister Anna to tell Dido of his plans to leave Carthage for Italy. War then breaks out between Aeneas and Iarbas. Dido convinces Aeneas to become her husband and share the throne of Carthage. However, when the ghost of Aeneas' father reminds him of his duty to his people, Aeneas realises that he must abandon Dido. As Aeneas and his men set sail for Italy and Carthage is besieged by Iarbas and his troops, the heartbroken Dido commits suicide and dies amidst the flames of the city. Masque: ''Neptune's Prophecy'' :''Setting: A temple to

Neptune Neptune is the eighth planet from the Sun and the farthest known planet in the Solar System. It is the fourth-largest planet in the Solar System by diameter, the third-most-massive planet, and the densest giant planet. It is 17 times ...

'' In the patriotic

which followed the opera performance, Neptune, the god of the sea, appears along with

Venus Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is sometimes called Earth's "sister" or "twin" planet as it is almost as large and has a similar composition. As an interior planet to Earth, Venus (like Mercury) appears in Earth's sky never fa ...

Ascanius Ascanius (; Ancient Greek: Ἀσκάνιος) (said to have reigned 1176-1138 BC) was a legendary king of Alba Longa and is the son of the Trojan hero Aeneas and Creusa, daughter of Priam. He is a character in Roman mythology, and has a divine ...

, and the Three Graces to praise the glory of Great Britain as a "god-like race" and to predict that the nation will eclipse both Tyre and

in naval fame.Description based on ''Walker's Hibernian Magazine'' (1792) p. 55 and Bono and Tessitore (1997) p. 65

Notes and references

Sources

*Boaden, James
''Memoirs of the Life of John P. Kemble''
R.H. Small, 1825 *Bono, Paola and Tessitore, Maria Vittoria
"Didone ''en travesti'': un'eroina tragica in commedia"
in Viola Papetti (ed.), ''Le forme del teatro'', Volume 8, Edizioni di Storia e Letteratura, 1997. *Burden, Michael
''Metastasio on the British Stage 1728–1840, a catalogue''
Oxford University Research Archive, 2008 (accessed 6 December 2009) * Edgcumbe, Richard
''Musical Reminiscences of an Old Amateur''
W. Clarke, 1827 * * *Nicoll, Allardyce
''A History of English Drama 1660-1900''
Volume 3, Cambridge University Press, 2009. *Price, Curtis Alexander ''et al.''
''Italian Opera in Late Eighteenth-century London: The King's Theatre, Haymarket, 1778-1791''
Oxford University Press, 1995. *''The Gentleman's Magazine''
Obituary: Prince Hoare, Esq. F.S.A.
Volume 158, June 1835, p. 662 *''Walker's Hibernian Magazine''
"Account of a new serious opera, called Dido Q. of Carthage"
Part 2, 1792 {{Authority control 1792 operas Operas Operas by Stephen Storace Opera seria English-language operas Operas based on classical mythology Operas based on the Aeneid Cultural depictions of Dido Greek and Roman deities in fiction Neptune (mythology) Venus (mythology)