Giovanni Filippo Apolloni (1620 – 15 May 1688) was an Italian poet and librettist. Born in Arezzo, he has sometimes been referred to as "Giovanni Apollonio Apolloni", but the second given name is spurious.Walker, Thomas (2001)
"Apolloni, Giovanni Filippo"
Grove Music Online. Retrieved 21 June 2016 (subscription required for full access). He served as the court poet to Ferdinand Charles, Archduke of Austria at Innsbruck form 1653 until 1659. On his return to Italy he entered the service of Cardinal Volumnio Bandinelli. After Bandinelli's death in 1667 Appolloni was in the service of the

Chigi family The House of Chigi () is an Italian princely family of Sienese origin descended from the counts of Ardenghesca, which possessed castles in the Maremma, southern Tuscany. Later, the family settled in Rome. The earliest authentic mention of them i ...

in Rome and Siena for the rest of his life. He wrote the librettos for a number of operas, the most well-known of which were

Antonio Cesti Pietro Marc'Antonio Cesti () (baptism 5 August 162314 October 1669), known today primarily as an Italian composer of the Baroque era, was also a singer ( tenor), and organist. He was "the most celebrated Italian musician of his generation". Biogr ...

's '' L'Argia'' and '' La Dori'', as well as several oratorios and the texts for cantatas by both Cesti and Alessandro Stradella.

Biography

Apolloni was born in Arezzo to a family prominent in the city's history. Little is known about his early life, but according to Carolyn Gianturco in her biography of Alessandro Stradella, Apolloni had been a

mercenary A mercenary, sometimes also known as a soldier of fortune or hired gun, is a private individual, particularly a soldier, that joins a military conflict for personal profit, is otherwise an outsider to the conflict, and is not a member of any ...

before turning to poetry.Gianturco, Carolyn (1994). ''Alessandro Stradella, 1639–1682: His Life and Music'', p. 23.

Clarendon Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...

. In the 1640s he was a member of Accademia dei Percossi in Florence. Founded by Salvator Rosa, its members were composed of the intellectual and artistic elite of the city and included Giacinto Andrea Cicognini,

, Antonio Abati, and

Lorenzo Lippi Lorenzo Lippi (3 May 1606 – 15 April 1665) was an Italian painter and poet. Biography Born in Florence, he studied painting under Matteo Rosselli. Both Baldassare Franceschini and Francesco Furini were also apprenticed with Rosselli, the ...

.Hoare, Alexandra (2010). "Freedom in Friendship: Salvator Rosa and the Accademia dei Percossi" in S. Ebert-Schifferer, H. Langdon, and C. Volpi (eds.) ''Salvator Rosa e il suo tempo 1615–1673'', pp. 3342. Campisano Editore. In 1653, on the recommendation of Rosa's patron Cardinal

Giancarlo de' Medici Giancarlo de' Medici (24 July 1611 – 22 January 1663) was an Italian cardinal of the House of Medici. He was the second son of Grand Duke Cosimo II of Tuscany and his wife, Maria Maddalena of Austria, and the brother of Ferdinando II de' Medi ...

, Apolloni was appointed court poet to Ferdinand Charles, Archduke of Austria at Innsbruck. There he produced the libretti for three works by Antonio Cesti: the operas '' L'Argia'' (1655) and '' La Dori'' (1657) and the courtly entertainment ''Mars und Adonis'' (1655). Both ''L'Argia'' and ''Mars und Adonis'' were performed during the week-long celebrations in November 1655 welcoming Queen Christina of Sweden on her journey to Rome. For Cesti's opera ''

Orontea ''Orontea'' is an opera in a prologue and three acts by the Italian composer Antonio Cesti with a libretto by Giacinto Andrea Cicognini (revised by Giovanni Filippo Apolloni). Performance history The first performance took place in Innsbruck on 1 ...

'', performed in Innsbruck in 1656, Apolloni revised the original libretto by Cicognini and wrote a new prologue involving a debate between Philosophy and Love. In 1659 Apolloni returned to Italy and shortly thereafter entered the service of Cardinal Volumnio Bandinelli (1598–1667) who had been a fellow member of the Accademia dei Percossi. After the death of Bandinelli, he joined the

Chigi Chigi may refer to: * Chigi (dog), a crossbreed between a Welsh Corgi and a chihuahua (dog) * House of Chigi, a Roman princely family * Chigi (architecture) , or are forked roof finials found in Japanese and Shinto architecture. predate Bu ...

household in Rome, working first for Cardinal and then for Sigismondo's cousin Cardinal Flavio Chigi. The

Colonna The House of Colonna, also known as ''Sciarrillo'' or ''Sciarra'', is an Italian noble family, forming part of the papal nobility. It was powerful in medieval and Renaissance Rome, supplying one pope (Martin V) and many other church and politic ...

and Chigi families, who both had residences in the Piazza dei Santi Apostoli in Rome, had close social, political, and cultural ties with each other. They jointly sponsored the creation of several operas with libretti by Apolloni, including ''L'Alcasta'' composed by

Bernardo Pasquini Bernardo Pasquini (Massa e Cozzile, 7 December 1637Rome, 21 November 1710) was an Italian composer of operas, oratorios, cantatas and keyboard music. A renowned virtuoso keyboard player in his day, he was one of the most important Italian composer ...

and dedicated to Queen Christina. It was through this extended network that Apolloni also began working with Alessandro Stradella.De Lucca, Valeria (Spring 2011)
"L'Alcasta and the Emergence of Collective Patronage in Mid-Seventeenth-Century Rome"
''

The Journal of Musicology ''The Journal of Musicology'' is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal of musicology published by University of California Press The University of California Press, otherwise known as UC Press, is a publishing house associated with the ...

'', vol. 28, issue 2, pp. 195–230. Retrieved 21 June 2016. In 1672 Flavio and Agostino Chigi formed the Accademia degli Sfaccendati (Academy of the Idlers). Its members were their close associates and all shared an interest in the theatre. They included Apolloni, Queen Christina (patron of the Teatro Tordinona in Rome), Filippo Acciaiuoli (the Tordinona's impresario), Giuliano Capranica whose family ran the

Teatro Capranica The Teatro Capranica is a theatre situated at 101 Piazza Capranica in the Colonna district of Rome. Originally constructed in 1679 by the Capranica family and housed in the early Renaissance Palazzo Capranica, it was the second public theatre to o ...

, and Alessandro Capizucchi. The express purpose of the Sfaccendati was to produce operas to be performed at the Chigi palazzo in

Ariccia Ariccia (Latin: ''Aricia'') is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Rome, central Italy, southeast of Rome. It is in the Alban Hills of the Lazio (Latium) region and could be considered an extension of Rome's southeastern suburbs. One ...

on the outskirts of Rome. Apolloni and Acciaiuoli co-authored the librettos for two operas which were performed there, ''Il Tirinto'' and ''L'Adalinda''. However the high cost of producing operas so far from the center of Rome made ''L'Adalinda'' the last of these "country house operas". The last opera for which Apolloni wrote the libretto was ''La forza d'amore'' composed by Bernardo Pasquini. A slight pastoral work with only three characters, it was performed in Florence at the

Villa di Pratolino The Villa di Pratolino was a Renaissance patrician villa in Vaglia, Tuscany, Italy. It was mostly demolished in 1822. Its remains are now part of the Villa Demidoff, 12 km north of Florence, reached from the main road to Bologna. History Th ...

in 1679.

Apolloni stayed in the service of the Chigi family until his death in 1688. His most enduring works remain the two Innsbruck operas he wrote for Antonio Cesti in the 1650s—''La Dori'' and ''L'Argia''. Convoluted semi-comic tales of multiple disguises and mistaken identities, both of them were immensely popular in their day with multiple productions in Italy during Apolloni's lifetime. ''L'Argia'' had its first performance in modern times at the Innsbruck Festival of Early Music in 1996 with subsequent performances in Lausanne and Paris. ''La Dori'' has been revived several times in the 20th century, including productions in 1983 at the

Spitalfields Festival Spitalfields Music (previously known as Spitalfields Festival, officially registered as Spitalfields Festival Ltd) is a music charity based in the Bethnal Green area of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. Through musical events, the charity hop ...

in London, 1990 at the

Mannes College of Music Mannes School of Music is a music conservatory in The New School, a private research university in New York City. In the fall of 2015, Mannes moved from its previous location on Manhattan's Upper West Side to join the rest of the New School ca ...

in New York, and 1999 at the Cittadella Musicale in Arezzo.

Works

Operas and other stage works

*'' L'Argia'' (opera in a prologue and 3 acts), set by Antonio Cesti, Innsbruck, 1655 *''Mars und Adonis'' ( azione teatrale), also known as ''Marte placato''), set by Antonio Cesti, Innsbruck 1655; set in a condensed version by Alessandro Scarlatti as the prologue to Cavalli's '' Scipione affricano'', Rome, 1671 * New prologue and revisions to ''

'', set by Antonio Cesti to a libretto originally by Giacinto Andrea Cicognini, Innsbruck, 1656Kimbell, David R. B. (1994)
''Italian Opera''
p. 164. Cambridge University Press. *'' La Dori'' (opera in a prologue and 3 acts), set by Antonio Cesti, Innsbruck, 1657; also set by Alessandro Scarlatti, Naples, 1689 *''Il Girello'' (opera in a prologue three acts), co-authored with Filippo Acciaiuoli, set by

Jacopo Melani Jacopo Melani (6 July 1623 – 18 August 1676) was an Italian musical composition, composer and violinist of the Baroque era. He was born and died in Pistoia, and was the brother of composer Alessandro Melani and singer Atto Melani. Works *165 ...

with the prologue set by Alessandro Stradella, Rome, 1668Reardon, Colleen (2016)
''A Sociable Moment: Opera and Festive Culture in Baroque Siena''
pp. 56; 97; 142; 253; 276; 285. Oxford University Press. *''Circe'' (

serenata In music, a serenade (; also sometimes called a serenata, from the Italian) is a musical composition or performance delivered in honor of someone or something. Serenades are typically calm, light pieces of music. The term comes from the Italia ...

in three parts), set by Alessandro Stradella, performed at the

Villa Aldobrandini The Villa Aldobrandini is a villa in Frascati, Italy. It is still owned and lived in by the Aldobrandini family, and known as Belvedere for its location overlooking the valley toward the city of Rome. It is the only grand Pope, Papal garden not o ...

in honour of Cardinal

Leopoldo de' Medici Leopoldo de' Medici (6 November 1617 – 10 November 1675) was an Italian cardinal, scholar, patron of the arts and Governor of Siena. He was the brother of Ferdinando II de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany. Biography Prince Leopoldo was born a ...

, Frascati, 1668 *''L'empio punito'' (opera in 3 acts), co-authored with Filippo Acciaiuoli, set by

Alessandro Melani Alessandro Melani (4 February 1639 – 3 October 1703) was an Italian composer and the brother of composer Jacopo Melani, and castrato singer Atto Melani. Along with Bernardo Pasquini and Alessandro Scarlatti, he was one of the leading composers ...

, Rome, 1669 *New prologue and revisions to ''

Giasone ''Giasone'' (''Jason'') is an opera in three acts and a prologue with music by Francesco Cavalli and a libretto by Giacinto Andrea Cicognini. It was premiered at the Teatro San Cassiano, Venice on 5 January 1649, during carnival. The plot is ...

'', originally composed by Francesco Cavalli to a libretto by Cicognini and premiered in 1649. The new prologue and further revisions by Apolloni to the libretto and Alessandro Stradella to the score were done for its revival in Rome under the title ''Il novello Giasone'' in 1671. *''Su, su si stampino in bel lavoro'' and ''Amanti, che credete?'' (

intermezzi In music, an intermezzo (, , plural form: intermezzi), in the most general sense, is a composition which fits between other musical or dramatic entities, such as acts of a play or movements of a larger musical work. In music history, the term ha ...

), set by Alessandro Scarlatti and interpolated in the revival of Cavalli's '' Scipione affricano'', Rome, 1671 *''L'Alcasta'' (opera in 3 acts), set by

, Rome, 1673 *''Astiage'' (opera in 3 acts), adapted by

Matteo Noris NGOs are an effective source of change and could be much more effective than governmental plans alone. Non federal government institutions typically take initiatives for delivering social adjustment in our society. Our agency is actually one-stop re ...

from the original libretto by Apolloni, set by

Giovanni Buonaventura Viviani Giovanni Buonaventura Viviani (15 July 1638 Florence –about 1693 Pistoia) was an Italian composer and violinist. He worked in the court at Innsbruck as a violinist at least between 1656 and 1660. Between 1672 and 1676 he was director of the c ...

, Venice, 1677 *''Il Tirinto'' (opera in 3 acts), co-authored with Filippo Acciaiuoli, set by

, 1672 *''L'Adalinda'' (opera in 3 acts), co-authored with Filippo Acciaiuoli, set by , Ariccia, 1673 *''La forza d'amore'' (opera in 3 acts), set by Bernardo Pasquini, Florence, 1679

Oratorios

*''Caino e Abele'' ( Cain and Abel), set by

in 1671 *''Iefte'' (

Jephthah Jephthah (pronounced ; he, יִפְתָּח, ''Yīftāḥ''), appears in the Book of Judges as a judge who presided over Israel for a period of six years (). According to Judges, he lived in Gilead. His father's name is also given as Gilead, ...

), set by Antonio Masini in 1675 and by Giovan Battista Tomasi in 1689Morelli, Arnaldo (1997). "La circolazione dell'oratorio italiano nel Seicento". ''Studi Musicali'', Anno XXVI, no. 1, pp. 105–118. Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia *''Il sacrificio d'Abramo'' (The Sacrifice of

Abraham Abraham, ; ar, , , name=, group= (originally Abram) is the common Hebrew patriarch of the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In Judaism, he is the founding father of the special relationship between the Je ...

), set by Antonio Masini in 1675 *''L'Assalonne'' ( Absalom), set by Paolo Petti in 1681

Cantatas

*Set by

**''Alpi nevose e dure'' **''Era l'alba vicina'' **''Rimbombava d'intorno'' **''Il Nerone'' or ''Sovra un'eccelsa torre'' (also set by Alessandro Stradella)''Early Music Review'' (August 2006). "''Il Nerone''", issue 114, p. 3. **''Era la notte e muto'' **''Ferma Lachesi ohimé'' *Set by Alessandro Stradella **''Il piu' tenero affetto''Unless otherwise specified, all entries in this list are sourced from Servizio Bibliotecario Nazionale (Italian National Library Service)
Apolloni Giovanni Filippo
/ref> **''Solcava incauto legno'' **''Chi non sa che la costanza'' **''Sprezzata mi credei'' **''Io che lasciato fui'' **''Il Nerone'' or ''Sovra un'eccelsa torre'' (also set by Antonio Cesti)

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Apolloni, Giovanni Filippo 1620 births 1688 deaths Italian opera librettists 17th-century Italian poets 17th-century Italian male writers People from Arezzo